Searching+for+Innovative+Uses+of+Technology

=Searching for Innovative Uses of Technology:= toc An Individual Project by Justin Knull

1. Reference Information
David Sladkey is a teacher at Naperville Central High School in Naperville, IL. This information is from his website, hosted by the school district, at @http://sites.google.com/site/dsladkey/home and from his blog titled "Reflections of a High School Math Teacher," specifically his post from December 15, 2010 titled "Using Flip Videos in High School Math Class."

2. A Brief Description
Mr. Sladkey assigns math problems to pairs of students for which they must solve to find the correct solution before planning out a two-minute or less presentation of their problem and solution to record with a FLIP camera. The videos are uploaded to his school website and Youtube.

3. The Purpose of the Innovation
According to Mr. Sladkey, there are three main reasons for using FLIP cameras in this way: 1. the students are accountable for knowing the material, 2. it is fun for the students, and 3. the students get a higher degree of depth of understanding through solving problems in this manner.

4. Technology and Resources Involved
The classroom needs to be equipped with enough FLIP cameras to be used by the students in class and computers with access to a video hosting site that is not blocked by the network. Students would also need to have access to dry-erase markers, and without desks that can be written on, as is the case here, individual whiteboards would need to be available.

5. Prior Skills and Knowledge Required of Students
Students, first and foremost, need to have an understanding of the mathematics involved in solving the problems they are given. Technology-wise, students need to know how to use the FLIP cameras (directions are provided). In this case, Mr. Sladkey does the uploading, so students would not need to know how to upload their content. Students also need to know the protocol for the use of this technology that is laid out by the teacher, such as how to start a video and rules such as not giving last names or filming students' faces. These guidelines can be found here.

6. What are the Students Asked to Accomplish
Students are required to produce a two-minute or less explanation of a problem and its solution in video format that can be shared via the web.

7. What are the Procedures of the Project
Because of the ease of use of these cameras, there is not very much focus on teaching the technological skills required to use them. Students are referred to "Read the instructions about 'The FLIP'" before proceeding with their work. The procedures for "Flip Video Time" are laid out very well by Mr. Sladkey in this document. Students work in pairs to find and check the solution to their problem. They then plan out a two-minute presentation of their work to video, and record their work following guidelines such as writing out important information, deleting all but their final video, and returning the camera with a notecard citing which problem was recorded and by whom.

8. What are the Advantages of the Project
I completely agree that the main advantages of the project are the same three points pointed out in number three above regarding the purpose. There is an accountability factor along with some fun for the students, but most importantly, the students get a higher degree of understanding from this work because they are required to explain their solutions. Because the videos are posted online, the students want to do them well, and they, according to Mr. Sladkey, "do not want to steer their classmates in the wrong direction." When content of this sort is made public online, there is a sense of ownership in the students to do quality work because it will not just be the teacher alone who sees their work.

9. What are the Disadvantages of the Project
The main disadvantage to this project would be the access to enough FLIP cameras for students to use in class. The classroom would probably need at least a set of 8-10 cameras in order for students to have them available as they need them, and this could be cost-prohibitive. Digital Wish offers two cameras for $150 or a mobile lab of 12 cameras and extras for just over $3500, but in the budget crunch most schools are facing, this may be a tough sell. If many students do not have internet access at home, the benefits of having videos of problems and solutions posted online are diminished a bit. Further, there may be some privacy issues that arise with posting videos of students online. This is addressed by Mr. Sladkey with his guidelines of using your first name only and not videoing students' faces.

10. What Effective Instructional Strategies are Included
We all know that the way to best understand something is to teach it, and this project gives students that opportunity. There is a high degree of synthesis involved in explaining a solution to a problem in this manner. Students are also empowered by the idea that they are creating something that is publicly available online and that they can take ownership of their work.

11. What are the Possibilities that the Innovation can be Transferred to Other Settings
This type of project could easily be transferred to other content areas and settings. In fact, the project may even be better when students are explaining the more abstract ideas that arise in a Social Studies or English course. This use of technology could easily be adapted to fit with whatever content at whatever level one requires.

12. Other Resources
Visual Bloom's of Web 2.0 Tools - http://visualblooms.wikispaces.com/HOME EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative. (November, 2008). //7 things you should know about flip camcorders//. Retrieved from @http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7043.pdf

1. Reference Information
Scholastic Teacher's Blog: Reading Book Projects With Flip Video, Digital Cameras, Web 2.0, and More by Megan Power - January 10, 2011

2. A Brief Description
Megan Power is using Flip video, along with other Web2.0 tools in her kindergarten classroom as book projects to supplement their reading instruction.

3. The Purpose of the Innovation
Students are using the book projects to work on the specific reading skills of vocabulary, comprehension, reader response, word work, and fluency in a somewhat self-guided manner. The book projects extend students' learning and allow them to hone their skills while using many Web2.0 tools.

4. Technology and Resources Involved
In addition to using Flip video cameras, Megan's students are also using computers and specific Web2.0 tools such as Wordle, Wixie, blogs, and PowerPoint. Megan also uses a simple rubric (attached to her post) to monitor students' work and progress.

5. Prior Skills and Knowledge Required of Students
Students will need to know how to use the technology tools involved such as the operation of the Flip cameras as well as the use of the Wordle or Wixie sites. Also, if students are using PowerPoint, they will need to know the basic operation of Microsoft Office software. Because her project has a self-guided element to it, students need to be able to understand the reading skills listed above and identify which of these they should focus on.

media type="youtube" key="t_kmkjeSzMs" height="390" width="480" align="left"6. What are the Students Asked to Accomplish
In terms of the Flip video project, specifically, students are working on reading comprehension. Their product is a brief video that demonstrates their comprehension of the story that they are reading. This video is a retelling of the story where one student illustrates while the book is being read aloud.

7. What are the Procedures of the Project
Each book project lasts a week. It is described well by Megan where on Monday students choose a book based on their reading level. After reading their book, each group selects a project based on the reading skills they feel they need to work on. On Tuesdays, the students begin creating each of the projects they have chosen and designed on Monday.

8. What are the Advantages of the Project
One big advantage of this project is that students are being engaged with Web2.0 tools at a very young age and learning to create online content. In addition to this, students are also being exposed to some very powerful metacognitive practices and allowing them to choose projects that will allow them the opportunity to work on skills that they, themselves, decide are appropriate. Also, highlighted by Megan, is that the students' learning is enhanced by the fact that specific technology tools are being matched to students' needs. Rather than finding a technology and deciding how to use it, Megan is identifying needs and finding the technology to assist in meeting those needs.

9. What are the Disadvantages of the Project
Access may be an issue for some teachers interested in utilizing projects such as these; many Web2.0 tools are blocked by school networks. Further, in order for these projects to be effective, students need to be very aware of their needs and capable of selecting projects that will help them in these areas. It is a very open-ended project, and a lot of responsibility falls on the students to make appropriate decisions.

10. What Effective Instructional Strategies are Included
This is a great example of using technology to differentiate instruction to fit the different needs of the learners. Also, there is a definite constructivist feel to these projects as students self-identify areas of focus and develop their own projects to use to work on these skills.

11. What are the Possibilities that the Innovation can be Transferred to Other Settings
Because of the age level and content focus of the project, there isn't a lot of possibility of transfer to other settings. The overall idea could be applied at various grade levels, but the content area is more restrictive with its focus on reading skills.

12. Other Resources
//Flippin' Out// by Katherine Grayson (March, 2010) t|h|e JOURNAL @http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/1105/journal_201003/index.php?startid=34 Matthew Needleman's //Video in the Classroom// @http://www.videointheclassroom.com/