There are a couple tools that every teacher / student should have access to in order to deliver / experience the 21st Century Education. I spoke about this at the TIES 2009 Conference in December and the more I think about it, the more important I think they are to education today.

Projector / Internet /Interactive Whiteboard in the Classroom

I’d add to this an interactive whiteboard, but bare minimum you need a way to project and create a visual classroom. This idea / requirement isn’t new so I’m not going to spend much time talking about it.

Moodle

If you have a way to collect and organize the electronic information for your students, everyone is better off. Moodle creates that extra layer of classroom tooling that makes it better than a web site. From a systemic perspective, you have a really great way of sharing materials between teachers. It spread like wildfire in my school, because the early adopters could give others what they’d created. Better than some of the social networking / web 2.0 tools out there as we can package and share between classrooms and schools. I like the idea of Ning, but it really isn’t the complete classroom tool that Moodle is for everyone.

Over the next couple days I’ll add to the list and probably talk more about the power of each tool (IWB, Moodle, Google Apps, itouch, Podcast Server, Screen Capture Software). Let me know what you think, and what 6 are on your list.

Wow.

It doesn’t take much, and the improvement happens.

We are doing something I don’t see as that hard, yet it is really changing the experience for kids, making the learning more accessible.

Things you need:

•  interactive whiteboard (we use Smartboards)
• a screen capture program (we use Jing)
• a microphone
• a short topic / skill to teach
• a way to publish (Moodle)

We put these things together and create short (3 – 5 minute) examples, explanations of concepts. Completing the square in Algebra II, chemistry problems, writing a good intro paragraph, the kids think they are watching the whole lecture, but really it is just a highlight reel.

I use Jing to create answers to questions that occur in my online class, when a teacher asks me how to do something specific on a computer, to show how to import kids into the clicker software, etc.

More than thrilled with the ease, the speed at which teachers adopt and bend it to fit their need. I just wish I had more time to get out and share it with people.  I do see this as a way to bridge the achievement gap. If you do it, let me know, I’d love to share videos. We are posting on iTunes (slowly), search EPHS.

Using Jing to do a screen capture
Smartboard to allow you to write on the screen
Moodle to distribute the files

The classroom really changes, technology makes the impact on student achievement we thought it should when we started this venture

Conference Description

Presentation Files and Notes from The Minnesota E-Learning Summit

How would 21st Century Learners react if they were able to complete assessments, participate in class discussions, get notes from the class they missed this morning, view the video shared in class – all at home 24/7. Blending online learning with traditional courses changes our roles as teachers. How do teachers adjust their courses and how quickly can a system integrate this change? Eden Prairie High School, a large suburban high school, implemented Moodle, an Open Source online learning environment, at the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year. See how it has impacted classroom instruction, professional development, class time, support, and the student experience.

Changing practice, offering the option of attending a staff meeting online! I thought what a great idea!

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to be at your desk, stream in the content, respond with your comments in a forum, take a short poll to weigh in on a question, and did I mention, from your desk? Or deck depending on your level of geekness? As with kids having the opportunity to take online classes (and for the most part, they stick to coming to the buildings) , it amazes me how many people enjoy being in the room, the physical room of a meeting. Maybe it takes more than an offer to start changing practice, maybe it takes people getting online a couple of times to do something such as this, maybe it is May, and as teachers we are tired and ready to be done, just like our kids.

What is rewarding is the number of people after the fact who are coming online to add comments and reviewing the links to things we shared at the meeting!