Maine_WikiCentralhandout.pdf

Available at http://wikicentral.wikispaces.com

An engaged student is a student who learns, and the use of web 2.0 tools easily creates an engaging atmosphere. In a traditional curriculum setting where content drives instruction, it is difficult to envision the incorporation of 21st century learning in the science classroom. Ideas and techniques using web 2.0 technologies can makeover traditional activities and open the door to higher order thinking in the biology classroom. Modern digital tools and applications make it possible for students to create engaging examples of learning. The impact of student questioning, research, gathering data, or publishing on the web is a considerable motivator to students and creates a shift towards more authentic learning activities. Wikis are a great medium of choice to deliver engaging and interactive curriculum and empower student voices for a larger audience. The presenter will share tools and tips from the past few years that have been used effectively to engage students and increase inquiry and collaboration in the classroom. A variety of activities at many levels (classic classroom and inquiry) are shown with student examples. One or more students will also be present to show examples of learning from class. The divide that exists between understanding the change in instruction and seeing how that looks in the classroom setting is one that teachers find difficult to grasp. Dialogue with those who have changed learning environments is one of the best ways to envision change in instruction in one's own classes.

This poster session will highlight how core values can be used to re-design curriculum elements to meet new standards of learning. Participants will identify how traditional activities have been altered to create engagement, inquiry, and collaboration in the biology classroom and envision possibilities in their own discipline. Participants will identify the use of an end outcome to order the teaching process and the structuring of activities. Participants will explore using a wiki as the hub of a classroom along with other web 2.0 tools for creating engaging and more relevant activities. The underlying idea that it is not the focus on the tools, but the use of tools in order to transform teaching and learning. The ultimate goal is for participants to return to their schools or districts with information and ideas to adapt and implement in their own science courses to create unique, engaging and powerful classroom projects and assignments. Session participants will be inspired with a variety of ideas that can be used in science classes or other disciplines at different levels. Issues regarding reflection, assessment, management, and use of tools will also be discussed.

Web 2.0 tools: voicethread, scribd, mac applications such as imovie, garageband, pages (and their open source alternatives.) Additional tools may also be discussed.

Outline

The visual presentation will include:
*Underlying values and goals -
Values: Inquiry, research, presentation, collaboration, and reflection as underlying themes for class planning.
Goal: To use information in production of content and understanding/application of content which is typically a challenge in the traditional science classroom
*Incorporating traditional activities to align to core values. Developing unique new activities with higher order thinking, collaboration, and presentation of information.
*Examples of use of a wiki as the classroom hub (assignment links, resources, production, discussion) and web 2.0 tools that are easily embedded in the wiki for student generated content (blogs, podcasts, movie presentations, voicethread, etc.
*Examples of assessment of activities and collaboration, including self, peer, and teacher review
*Authoring in individual and team collaborative work
*Management of time, resources, and group action. Use of RSS, history, templates, checklists, planning sheets, etc
*Examples of project ideas and activities:
White-tailed deer management and biodiversity
Watershed exploration
Biome exploration
Wiki as a textbook
Portfolios of work
*Student samples
*Feedback from students in attendance at session as well as podcast/voicethread thoughts from students

The presenter will also informally elaborate on the above and respond to questions such as:
*How can an individual teacher envision the use of tools in the classroom?
*What strategies are useful for communicating change to students, parents, and other teachers?
*What feedback do students provide and how does that change instruction?

Interactive elements: Students, podcast feedback on computer, computer access to view wiki and activity/project examples (http://mrsmaineswiki.wikispaces.com/ and http://mrsmaine.wikispaces.com/), links within a wiki for getting started (with a wiki) at http://wikiwikiteaching.wikispaces.com/ (pages and links will be created on this site), visuals of project examples, survey data from students, links to student work, assessment, and survey data.

Supporting Research

"wiki page: Blogs vs. Social Networking." Online posting. 10 June 2006. Support Blogging... [Discussions on classroom blogging including barriers to blogging.]

Boss, Suzie and Krauss, Jane. Reinventing Project-Based Learning. Washington, DC: ISTE, 2007.

Wiggins, Grant and McTighe, Jay. Understanding by Design, 2nd ed. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 2005.

Ahlfeldt, Mehta, and Sellnow. "Measurement and analysis of student engagement in university classes where varying levels of PBL methods of instruction are in use." Higher Education Research and Development. 24.1 (2005): 5-20.

Dickerson and Kubasco. "Digital Microscopes: Enhancing Collaboration and Engagement in Science Classrooms with Information Technologies." Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education. 7.4 (2007): 279-292.

Sener, John. "In Search of Student-Generated Content in Online Education." e-mentor. 4.21 (2007).

Bednar, Eglin, and Welch. "Contextual Inquiry: A Systemic Support for Student Engagement through Reflection." Interdisciplinary Journal of Knowledge and Learning Objects. 3 (2007): 45-55.

"wikis." Online postings. Cool Cat Teacher. [Use of wikis and tutorial in best practices: http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2005/12/wiki-wiki-teaching-art-of-using-wiki.html, http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2006/08/how-i-use-wikis-what-do-you-do.html, etc.]

Draper, Darren. Online Open Professional Development. 2007-2008. [Use of wikis, blogs, and online collaborative tools: http://openpd.wikispaces.com/]

Solomon, Gwen. "Project-based Learning: a Primer." Online posting. Techlearning. (January 15, 2003).

Sherman, Lee. "Starting at the End." Northwest Education Magazine. 7.3 (2002).

Pink, Daniel H. A whole new mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age. New York: Penguin Group, 2005.

Richardson, Will. Blogs, wikis, podcasts and other powerful web tools for classrooms. California: Corwin, 2006.

Warlick, David. Blogging in the Classroom: A Teacher's Guide to the Blogosphere. Lulu.com. 2005.

Stiggins, Richard. "Assessment Crisis: the absence of assessment for learning." Phi Delta Kappa International. (June, 2007). [http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k0206sti.htm]

Wallis, C. "How to bring schools out of the 20th century." Time. (January 10, 2007). [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1568480,00.html]

Warlick, David. Redesigning literacy for the 21st century. Ohio: Linworth Publishing, Inc. 2004.

Newmann and Wehlage. "Five Standards of Authentic Instruction." Authentic Learning. 50.7 (1993): 8-12.

Guard, Richter, and Waller. "Portfolio Assessments." Languages, Linguistics, and Area Studies. Online article. [http://www.llas.ac.uk/resources/gpg/1441]

Presenter Background

Louise Maine has been a teacher for over 20 years in middle and high school settings in PA, MI, and VA. Louise has served as an adjunct professor of Methods in Science Education for pre-service teachers at Western Michigan University in MI. She holds certifications in Biology and General Science and has a BS in Biology and a Master's Degree in Science Education. She is a blogger (hurricanemaine.blogspot.com and PASD Tech blog) and presenter of educational technology and instruction topics. Louise is a site reviewer for TeachersFirst and contributions include extensive use of web 2.0 sites in a classroom setting with suggested activities for integration. Louise has contributed to an article authored by Vicki Davis for Cable in the Classroom magazine (2008) and has been featured in online and print articles on wiki use by Edutopia magazine (August/September 2008). Conference presentations include class wiki use (Wikis: A Web 2.0 Tool To Transform Teaching in a 21st Century Classroom) at the One-to-one Conference at Penn State University in April, 2008, k12online conference, October 2008, featured as a model teacher by the State of PA for the Classrooms for the future coaches bootcamp (October 2008), and has presented in district workshops.