Jason T Bedell » Uncategorized

Marathon to End Poverty

Jason Bedell — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:52:19 +0000

I have not written a blog in over a month, which is the longest dry spell in my nearly 2 years of writing here. There are a lot of reasons for that which I will not get into at the moment, but I do hope to start reflecting on teaching practice here again soon. This post is about a newer passion of mine and is not directly education related.

In the last few weeks, in no small part due to the help and support of my friend and marathon-runner Kevin Washburn, I’ve taken up running. Currently, I’m reading Ryan Hall’s book Running With Joy. I find reading his physical and spiritual journey helpful as I prepare for my first half-marathon next weekend.

I am not that competitive by nature; I have no illusions of winning any races. I just like running. I like how I feel physically, mentally, and spiritually when I am running; especially when I’m running outside. One of the things about Ryan’s journey that connected with me is that the smallest things we do can make a big impact, both on their own and when added together with acts of others. In the classroom, that the smallest things, like actually smiling at a child, can make a difference in a child’s day or life.

Ryan and Sara Hall started the Hall Steps Foundation. It is started with the goal of ending global poverty. At first blush, it sounds almost laughable. However, it is their philosophy which resonates with me. No one can do this alone. However, everyone, moving in the same direction in support of a cause can make a big difference. Some of the initiatives that they are supporting are:

“constructing community wells in East Africa to secure water access”
“funding an orphanage in Kenya to ensure access to shelter and basic education”
“sponsoring legal counsel for victims of human trafficking in Southeast Asia to enhance victims’ physical autonomy.”

With that goal in mind, I have signed up for my first marathon. I am going to be running the North Face Endurance Challenge in Bear Mountain, NY on 5/7. I would be honored if you would stand with me. I am asking for donations of $26 for this charity. $26 is a symbolic amount for the charity, although any amount, more or less, is definitely appreciated.

My initial goal is to raise at least $500. If you all come through and raise more than $500, I will register for the 50k instead of the marathon. I cannot guarantee a good time, but I can pledge to keep moving forward as we strive for this important goal. Thank you.

You can donate here:

Also, if desired, I will post a picture/link in the sidebar of this site for any donations over $100.

TeachMeet NJ

Jason Bedell — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 01:52:30 +0000

Plans are really starting to come together for TeachMeet New Jersey. I am really excited, but before I explain why I think I should start with what a TeachMeet is.

I ran TeachMeet Nashville last April and it was an amazing learning experience. I’ve written about TeachMeets and other unconferences like EdCamp and NTCamp several times on this blog. If you are new to this blog, an unconfernce is a free and open conference. TeachMeet is one specific type of unconference. Anyone can sign up to attend or present. There is never any cost for anyone; sponsors make the whole thing possible, although you will not be harassed by sponsors at the event.

First, I need to thank my awesome team. They are great and it is a privilege to work with them. In alphabetical order, they are:

This TeachMeet is going to have a very specific and distinctive style. First, taking a cue from several successful conferences and unconferences, there is going to be a dedicated Blogger’s Cafe/Networking area. It is a place to meet other people, hang out, try new tools, and relax. We recognize that networking and building relationships is the most important part of any unconference.

There will be three types of sessions. All of the sessions will be interactive in some way we hope. The first type are 1-hour sessions. Sign-ups for those maxed out in a day, literally. We’ll be announcing the topics shortly.

There will be 40 15-minute sessions. These are wonderful, fast-paced sessions organized around topical blocks. We can accommodate 4 presenters for each session. Here are the blocks and the presenters who have signed up so far.

Helping Special Needs Students
- Deven Black
- Kristen Swanson
Digital Storytelling
How to Grow Professionally
Educational Reform
- Katy Barnicle
- Nicolae Borota
- Lisa Nielson
- Cathy Brophy
- Sarah Daly
- Joel Smith
- Larry Fliegelman
- Erica Hartman
Innovative Practices in Science Ed
- Alex Rosenwald
- Mike Ritzius and Peter Hooke
- Frank Noschese
- Dave Andrade
Assessment
Integrating Art and Music
- Yoon Soo Lim
- Rachel Evans
Promoting Reflection
Next Generation Libraries
- Debra Gottsleben
- Janet Bell
- Chris Gibson

We are also going to have 9 1-hour blocks of 5-minute presentations. You do not need to sign-up at all for these, although we do need people to volunteer to moderate the sessions. Basically, another presenter comes up to share their idea every 5 minutes. The topics we are planning to cover are:

Strategies for Differentiation
- Moderated by Peter Hooke
How to Improve PD
- Moderated by Andy Marcinek
Integrating Literacy
- Moderated by Stephanie Mechman
Community building
- Moderated by Larry Fliegelman
What can you do with a video camera?
Web 2.0 Smackdown
- Moderated by Erica Hartman
Ways to get to know your students better
Fun ideas for math instruction
Ways to help students find authentic audiences
- Moderated by Jason T. Bedell

As you can see, there are a lot of amazing people coming from at least 4 states: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. While I will meet many at EduCon in January, I am so beyond excited to meet all the people, some again and some for the first time. Gathering all these passionate people together around a common goal of helping students can only have great results.

Sign-up here. It’s free and there are less than 200 spots left.

Chapter 4, Part 2

Jason Bedell — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 04:39:44 +0000

This is a continuation of the fourth chapter in Techniques for Effective Technlogy Integration. You may want to start with Part 1.

Can Technology Really Aid Writing

Writing of any kind can, of course, be done with a paper and pencil. Technology, integrated without support or training, will not make a difference. My biggest problem with the implementation of many 1:1 laptop programs is that oftentimes the laptops become extremely expensive typewriters. Technology has the potential to augment what we normally do. If your classroom is a collaborative environment already, technology can make it a really collaborative environment. Students can continue to collaborate even when they are not in your room. If your classroom is not collaborative, then introducing technology without changing your paradigm of teaching will not be result in collaboration.

It takes an investment in time and effort to train students on how to collaborate successfully. The tools that are going to be discussed in this chapter do not require a significant amount of instruction to master, but it is important that students have some experience collaborating. If not, expect to spend time at the beginning of and throughout a project as they become adept at a new method of doing things

Real Assessment for a Change

mattguthrie — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:55:33 +0000

Matt Guthrie is, like me, a middle school teacher. Whereas I taught English, Matt has taught both math and science. I am interested in his perspective both as a math teacher and as a teacher whose insight I value.

Thanks Jason for giving me the opportunity to guest post here alongside people who are so much more knowledgeable than I. I almost said no when he asked me to write about how I plan to assess my math classes this fall. His request was sparked by a tweet where I said I was in the process of developing an inquiry-based math class for my seventh graders this year. My response was, “Sure, as soon as I figure out how I’m gonna do it.” That was not just a joke. I really had no idea. Yet. And I’m still not completely sure this is the format I’ll use. So we’ll call this Assessment Scheme 0.1 – Beta.

A little contextual background. I teach middle school math and science, specifically 7th grade math this coming school year. I teach in what used to be a small rural town that almost overnight became a bedroom community for the state’s capital and a rapidly growing IT and biotech industry. Our student population is fairly diverse, though our immigrant and poverty level students are growing in number. In another year or two we will be a Title 1 school. I started teaching high school twenty years ago and I’m always looking for a better way.

So, my plan is to use standards based grading. Here in NC, our standard course of study (SCOS) for all our classes, grade levels, courses, etc. is broken down into various strands and goals. The simplest thing to do is to assess each objective within each goal. Sounds simple. But what mechanism am I going to use?

Because we are talking math, there is going to have to be the occasional quiz or skills check of five to ten problems just so the student can demonstrate that he or she can do the rudimentary process. I do not want that to be the only form however. By designing a PBL, inquiry-based lesson, students will have to demonstrate an application of those rudimentary skills, leading to the higher levels of Blooms taxonomy.

I have decided against rubrics and have opted for checkists of learning goals for each project or lesson. The reason is twofold. First, I don’t want to stifle or prescribe a student’s creativity. They will receive feedback on important items like types of visuals, animations, fonts, color schemes, and what not. I only want to assess the math piece. Second, providing a checklist will give a set of clear goals and expectations for the students.

Students will maintain portofolios of all their work. Some will be hard copy, others will be electronic. There will be the obvious examples of wiki articles and class presentations, plus my team is investigating some e-portfolio solutions. When the quarter ends and report cards go out, some type of grade has to be given. Students are going to grade themselves. They will have to justify their grade with evidence from their portfolios. I will conference with each of them, reserving the right to change the grade up or down based on my professional opinion. Their grade will be on a scale of 1 to 4. A four will indicate mastery, 3 – proficiency, and 1 and 2 are needs more work.

As I get ready to implement these ideas, I’m making my list of potential barriers and obstacles. The students won’t be a barrier. I’m looping with my sixth graders from last year, so they are already accustomed to similar features from science last year. I am worried about the parents, the admin, my PLC, and the grading software we are required to use. Some grade has to be given on a 100 point scale and converting a list of goals to somehow accurately reflect their progress in this system is going to be a challenge. When I start doing things differently from my PLC, I’m going to be branded even more deeply as a non-team player. Honestly, I envision the parents totally freaking out, thereby leading to freaking out admins.

So what I am going to do about these potential roadblocks? Work my butt off. Implementing a system like this without any protests or complaints by all the stakeholders would not be easy either. This will require a lot more than giving a kid a grade on the basis of the percentage of problems he gets correct. Since I must anticipate complaints, I’ll definitely have to stay on my toes, documenting everything along the way when it comes to assessing.

But, as Tom Petty once said, “I won’t back down.” In the end, I think this is such a better way to do things. I idealistically believe that after one quarter of doing this that all parties involved will see it benefits.

Twitter: @mattguthrie
Skype: gutmajohar
Google Voice: 919-351-9530

Social Sig For Me

Jason Bedell — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:50:46 +0000

If you click on the “Social Media Signature Generator” button at the top of the page, it will take you to Social Sig For Me. http://socialsigforme.com is a fun project that I started when I wanted a cool, visual way to show my social networks in my email signature and in blogs. It’s a lot of fun to code, but I don’t have too much time at the moment. So, I am putting the site up for sale. You get my support in getting it running on your server (It’s php and html, so it can run on most any server.), my roadmap of features that I would like to add, and all of the code and images that go along with it. I am asking for $200 or a new smartphone (either the Droid X or Incredible from Verizon). Drop me a comment or am email if you’re interested.

As an example, I just made this signature, which is also on my blog sidebar.

I Write Q!

Jason Bedell — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:33:45 +0000

I rarely discuss commercial applications on this blog, but I am beginning to realize how much need there is in my school. To help the students in my school, I am looking to apply for technology based grants. Thanks to Shannon M Miller for telling me about Qwizdom’s How Do You Q? contest. Below is my entry.

How Do You Q?

Last year, I had the privilege of being a library media specialist. By working with the teachers in the building, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to teach literally every subject that was offered in the high school. One of the things that I learned is that any subject can be made more interesting and fun for children by making it interactive.

There are many ways that content can become interactive. Of course, it depends on knowing both the students and the content very well. One solution that can often transcend content is a student response system. For those unfamiliar, a student response system allows all students to answer questions. Answers are graphed on-screen as soon as students choose the answer. There tend to be two-types of response systems. The first uses a dedicated device that transmits a signal of RF or IR signal. The second allow for answering via text messages and the Internet.

I am responsible for training teachers on all aspects of technology as well as teaching one period of informational technology. One of the primary ways that I will use this in both settings is to constantly check for understanding and to guide the lesson based on their learner’s understanding. At strategically placed times throughout the lesson, I would ask a question or series of questions to gauge how well the learners are grasping the material. This will inform my decision as the teacher/trainer to either move forward or to reteach a concept.

Furthermore, from discussions with teachers in the district and the amount of interactive white boards the district has purchased at the expense of other technology, many teachers are stuck in a method of teaching where they present information for the better part of the class. I really want to help the teachers that I will be working with to move away from that mentality and spend more time actually working with the students. The Qwizdom Presenter Tablet and Document Camera are two tools that can help with this.

The Qwizdom Presenter Tablet will allow the teachers to work with students individually or in small groups while still controlling what they see on the screen. Better yet, they can let the students use it themselves! There is immense power when we put good technology in the hands of the students. Students can draw, write, and explore content with the Presenter Tablet. The Document Camera will let them do the same with physical items. For example, a student could bring an example artifact up in history to let the whole class examine or record a lab in science so that they can review it and better understand what happened.

There are so many possibilities with the Qwizdom suite. We just need to get it in the hands of children who will use and teachers who are not afraid to let the students guide their own learning.

Transition

Jason Bedell — Tue, 18 May 2010 17:48:10 +0000

I hope you know how much I appreciate you all taking the time to read this blog. As you may know, I have a lot of changes going on. My wife is due with our second child soon. In fact, tomorrow is her due date. Next Wednesday is my last day working as a school librarian. A few days after that, we will be making a 1000 mile drive to NJ to spend the summer with family before heading to MA in August for my new position as a high school instructional technology teacher. I also have to give my school back their computer.

My connectivity after next Wednesday is going to be primarily by my BlackBerry, definitely not the fastest phone around. So, I most likely am not going to be able to write much this summer. Feel free to email me or reach out on Twitter. I hope to get a few more posts out this week and next, as well as a couple more guest posts. I sincerely hope will you join me again when the blog resurrects itself and I get a new computer in August/September.

Google Earth Tours Lesson

Jason Bedell — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 02:37:52 +0000

World Geography

One of my World Geography teachers came to me recently wanting to do a project. He has 10 days unallocated in his scope and sequence and he wants to do a project with his kids as he doesn’t often get to. It sounds good to me! My requirements are simple: make it enjoyable and make it useful. This project can be used to help prepare the whole class for the final exam and help teach next year’s students. Do you have any suggestions to improve it before we start teaching on Wednesday? Please leave suggestions in the comments.

Google Earth Tours

You will be creating narrated video tours in Google Earth to help your class prepare for the final exam and to help future students learn about the diverse countries you have studied this year. Your tours will all be posted on a class website so that everyone may benefit.

Step 1

Choose a Country

You may choose any 1 country that we have studied this year. Your choices include:

Canada
United States
Mexico
Latin America (Cover the region)
France
Germany
England
Italy
Ireland
Greece
Russia
The Middle East (Cover the region)
China
Korea
Japan
India
Pakistan
Other countries/regions possibly approved in discussion with Mr. Ramsey.

Step 2

Find Your Places

Google Earth is a realistic 3D model of the earth. You need to find 10 landmarks in the country. For each landmark, you have to write 1 paragraph (5 sentences or more) explaining its significance, you have to have either a picture or a video, and you have to have a link to where you can find more information. The landmarks need to meet the following requirements:

At least 3 landmarks demonstrate Geographical significance.
At least 3 landmarks demonstrate historical significance.
At least 3 landmarks demonstrate diversity or cultural significance.
You need 10 landmarks, so 1 is your choice.
The landmarks should be in varied areas so people can experience the geography and diversity of the area/region.
Each landmark should be accompanied by a paragraph explaining its significance.
Each landmark should have a picture or video to help people understand its significance.
Each landmark should have a website link where people can find more information.

Step 3

Create and Organize Your Tour

Create your 10 placemarks and organize them in the order you will view them on your tour. The video below demonstrates how to do so.

You will need this document to add a placemark with a picture and this document to add a placemark with a video.

Step 4

Record Your Narrated Tour

Record audio narration as you go through your tour. The video below demonstrates how to do this.

Step 5

Save Your Tour

The video in the previous step shows you how to save the file. Right-click on your tour and click Save place as… Save it as Period-Lastname-Country.kmz. For example, if I’m in Mr. Ramsey’s 3^rd period, I would save it as 3-Bedell-Peru.kmz. Turn it in to Mr. Ramsey on his drop box.

Grading Rubric

This rubric explains what to do to get a B. If you get 5 (the best) in every column, you will get at least a B+. If you want an A, pick an area and go above and beyond. You have several days to complete the project. If you want an A, do something outstanding beyond what is required. Be creative.

	5	3	1
Placemarks	You have 10 placemarks. They all have a full paragraph that explains the significance of the landmark, a picture or video that helps people to understand the landmark, and a link to a good website to help people learn more.	You have 10 placemarks. At least 7 have a full paragraph that explains the significance of the landmark, a picture or video that helps people to understand the landmark, and a link to a good website to help people learn more.	You have less than 10 placemarks. Some may be missing the paragraph, the visual, or the link.
Geography	At least 3 of your placemarks cover geography, demonstrate the importance of the geography to the country’s way of life, and illustrate the uniqueness of the country’s landscape.	At least 3 of your placemarks cover geography, but they are mostly very similar. The importance of the country’s unique geography is not explored thoroughly.	Less than 3 placemarks cover geography. Because of this, the geography cannot be explored in depth.
History	At least 3 of the placemarks cover history; the landmarks chosen are important to history and how the landmark and the historical event that took place there affected the country is explained thoroughly.	At least 3 placemarks cover history; the landmarks chosen of are varying significance to the country. How the landmark and historical event affected the country is explained thoroughly for at least 2 placemarks.	Less than 3 placemarks cover history. Because of this, the history cannot be explored in depth.
Culture and Diversity	At least 3 of the placemarks cover landmarks of cultural significance or that show diversity. How the landmark impacts the daily and cultural life in the country is explained thoroughly for all the placemarks.	At least 3 of the placemarks cover landmarks of cultural significance or that show diversity. How the landmark impacts the daily and cultural life in the country is explained thoroughly for at least 2 of the placemarks,	Less than 3 placemarks cover culture/diversity. Because of this, the culture/diversity cannot be explored in depth.
Audio Narration	The audio narration is not read; it includes other details that help the user to better understand the country.	The audio narration helps auditory learners, but includes few extra details than the placemarks. The presentation is read fluidly without unnecessary pauses.	The audio narration includes no details that are not in the placemarks and does not add much to the user’s understanding.

Mission for this Week: 4/05-4/12

Jason Bedell — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 13:34:24 +0000

While #tmn10 was a great success and totally worth it, all of the work that it required caused some of my other projects to fall by the wayside. Notably, I had been working on staring a book with the working title, Techniques for Effective Technology Integation. Also, on my spring break, I built a prototype Web 2.0 Tool called Social Sig For Me (@socialsigforme). The site requires a lot of polish and will need me to learn several new programming languages to give it that polish. As I always endeavor to do what I believe will be most beneficial to my community and PLN, I just asked which I should work on first. Here is what you said:

It seems that the book is in higher demand, so I will devote my resources more fully to that. Don’t worry, I am still planning the next TeachMeet Tennessee in Memphis and should have more details soon. Thankfully, I have an amazing team of 9 put together so we can share the load and put on an even better (un)conference next time.

My favorite part of the book is the from the teachers section at the end of each chapter. It is where you get a voice. Similar to TeachMeet, you can share what works for you. This chapter is “Harnessing the Power of Social Media.” I need examples of how you have successfully use social media with you students. Please share some examples of how you have used Ning, Edmodo, Twitter, Facebook, Skype or other social media tools with you students. Feel free to be as detailed as you like. I truly appreciate your help and that this book is really a community endeavor.

Help TeachMeet With Free Badges

Jason Bedell — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 05:26:11 +0000

Do you want to help advertise TeachMeet Nashville? It’s easy and free, just like TeachMeet. Just pick which widget fits your blog or website, grab the html, and add it to your site. It’s that help. Email TeachMeet tech support if you need help getting it working or if you need another size. Thanks for all your help.