Teachers: Are You Engaging AND Empowering Your Students?

December 22, 2009 by Ben Edwards · Leave a Comment 

21st-Century-SchoolsIn this month’s issue of Principal Leadership, a publication of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), Chris Lehmann, Principal of the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, authors an excellent article called Shifting Ground. In the piece, Mr. Lehmann notes that students today have fully embraced technology and now it is time for schools to empower them to use it for learning. Facebook, text messaging, YouTube, blogging, Twitter and the list goes on, are all far more popular with students than textbooks and lectures these days, but are teachers and administrators truly grasping the full impact of this technological shift? The article mentions that although many schools have integrated 21st century tools, in many there hasn’t been a change in the way students learn. Tools like interactive whiteboards are obviously much more engaging for students and certainly more functional for teachers than traditional chalkboards, and students will learn better as a result, but why stop there the article asks. Mr. Lehmann challenges schools to set the bar for themselves far higher, noting that they should strive for student empowerment. By this he means having students take the skills they learn in the classroom and “apply them to ends of their own creation”. With all the technological/social networking tools at their disposal, students can collaborate, conduct their own research and network effectively. With the information they have gathered, students can then create videos, podcasts, write blog entries, work together on a wiki and so much more. Author Chris Lehmann speaks to us in his role as a high school principal, but I view much of what he says as quite applicable for the middle school level as well.

In the article (PDF version here) Mr. Lehmann gives examples of real-world learning projects his students have been involved in as well as how they have used Twitter to connect with the wider world and stay in touch with educators who have visited the school. He notes that social networking has “changed the landscape of society” and that educators must not only be aware of and embrace social networking tools but also teach students how they can utilize them for academic networking as well. The article concludes by recognizing the challenges that teachers, students and administrators face as schools race to keep up with the changes in society. The author notes that although these changes are difficult, they provide an opportunity for schools to rethink what they can truly be. “In the end,” he states “it is time to stop thinking of school as preparation for real life and instead show students that the time they spend in school can be a vital and enriching part of their very real and very important lives.” To learn more about the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and how you can receive copies of their publication Principal Leadership as a benefit of membership, visit their website: principals.org.

The insightful video below entitled “Learning to Change – Changing to Learn” features numerous educators who have reached the same conclusion about the future of 21st century education as the author featured in this blog post . The video was produced by the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), the premier professional association for school district technology leaders. To learn more about this organization, as well as the benefits of membership, visit their website: cosn.org.

Video link: Learning to Change-Changing to Learn (embedded above)

Filed under: Technology In The Classroom, Video
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Covering the Annual Boston Tea Party Reenactment on Twitter

December 15, 2009 by Ben Edwards · Leave a Comment 

OldSouthLast Sunday I attended the annual reenactment of the Boston Tea Party at Old South Meeting House celebrating the 236th Anniversary of the event. I decided to cover it using some of the latest technology available to any 21st century correspondent these days – with mobile device in hand (in my case an iPhone) I would be sending tweets on Twitter using TweetDeck as the events unfolded. My Twitter handle @bostonhistory seemed appropriate for the assignment. I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to step back in time and discuss these modern communication tools with patriot printers like Benjamin Edes and Isaiah Thomas. I’m sure they would both think I had taken leave of my senses and ask me to follow them back to their respective print shops – the Boston Gazette and the Massachusetts Spy – so I might help set type by hand so everyone could learn the news “as quickly as possible” about the events that took place in Boston on December 16, 1773. Well, I digress…back to the present day. It was a rainy night in Boston on Sunday but that didn’t prevent a large crowd from gathering at Old South. This “meeting of the people of Boston and the neighboring towns” was completely Sold Out with over 600 in attendance including some 70 reenactors. (At the original meeting over 5,000 people, 1/3 of Boston’s population, gathered both inside Old South and in the area surrounding the building.) The performance by Old South’s Tea Party Players was outstanding. The reenactors, dressed in correct period attire, were mixed in with audience members throughout the meeting house and each and every one had a particular role to play.

The reenactment of the meeting was called to order by Mr. Samuel Savage, a gentleman of the Town of Weston, who was chosen as moderator. The first of the three tea ships, the Dartmouth, had been in Boston since late November and its cargo still remained on board. A tax had to be paid the moment the tea was landed and if the duty was not paid within 20 days of the ship’s arrival, it would be seized by British customs officials. For weeks, the colonists held mass meetings and tried to prevent the tea from being unloaded, even stationing guards around the ships. They sought a peaceful resolution – have the tea ships return to England with their cargo. Up to this point, all their requests had been denied. The meeting’s moderator asked Mr. Francis Rotch, owner of the Dartmouth, to seek a pass from Governor Hutchinson so his ship might return to England with its cargo. Mr. Rotch left for Governor Hutchinson’s country home in Milton and as the crowd awaited his return and the governor’s reply, a debate ensued and I began my work as a Twitter correspondent.

Audience members were given the opportunity to participate in the debate. In the program for the evening, everyone received a slip of paper, color-coded for either a patriot or a loyalist, and containing words that people attending the original meeting and supporting that particular side of the debate might have spoken. People of all ages stepped up to microphones placed throughout the hall as Mr. Samuel Savage moderated the debate. Here are a few of the 24 tweets I sent during the event: “Doctor Joseph Warren speaks out against the tea tax.”; “Loyalists speak out – 3 pence a pound is a paltry sum to pay.”; “William Health says patriots are traitors to the crown.”; “Patriot – the tea tax is an insult to the citizens of Boston.”; “Loyalist – we must pay for the French and Indian War debt.”; “Patriot – I will continue to wear only homespun clothes and drink Liberty tea, huzzah!”; “Loyalist – we might be speaking French if not for the King. Fi!”; “Patriot – we should have the right to tax ourselves and keep it in the colonies.” A motion was made from the chair that the tea not be landed and a short time later, Mr. Francis Rotch returned with Governor Hutchinson’s answer. The Governor would not grant a pass for the Dartmouth, the tea must be landed and the tax paid. At that very moment, patriot leader Samuel Adams stood up and said “This meeting can do nothing more to save the country.” It was a secret signal for the Sons of Liberty to act.

The lights dimmed in Old South Meeting House and the “destruction of the tea” was played out in fine theatrical fashion. Men thinly disguised as “Mohawks” or “Indians” resembled their period counterparts who at the actual event were covered with blankets or ragged clothing with their faces smeared with lampblack or soot. The reenactors depicted how the tea was dumped into the sea, while a narrator filled the audience in on all the details including an interesting tale of an individual who tried to pocket some of the loose tea and how he was dealt with by the patriots. On the evening of December 16, 1773, in less than four hours, a party of patriots dumped 342 chest of East India Company tea into Boston Harbor in a protest against British taxation that John Adams called “so bold, so daring, so firm, intrepid and inflexible, and it must have so important Consequences, and so lasting, that I can’t but consider it an Epocha in History.” As the lights came back up in the Old South Meeting House and the audience expressed its appreciation for a wonderful production, I thought of one individual likely in attendance at the original meeting 236 years ago – my ancestor Alexander Edwards a member of the Sons of Liberty. Old South’s Tea Party Players truly helped me picture what his experience might have been like.

The 236th Anniversary Boston Tea Party Annual Reenactment was sponsored by Salada Tea – offering some exciting new flavors of green tea – and The Liberty Hotel located in the Beacon Hill section of Boston. Teachers: Visit the Old South Meeting House website to learn more about the Boston Tea Party and their great school programs including the very popular Tea is Brewing.

Filed under: Colonial Newspapers, Primary Sources, Technology In The Classroom, Tours
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Idea Starter: Sign the Declaration of Independence

November 12, 2009 by Ben Edwards · Leave a Comment 

Declaration

© iStockphoto.com/MB Photo

Teachers are always looking for great idea starters that can help them formulate better and more interesting lesson plans. Today’s idea starter uses modern technology to do the impossible – it enables your students to sign the Declaration of Independence. Before they actually sign and print their own personal copy of the document, it is important that students understand more about its history and the risks the original 56 signers took when they affixed their own signatures. All of this is possible thanks to the Charters of Freedom Exhibit online at the National Archives website. Here you can download high resolution versions of the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and The Bill of Rights and get a better understanding of these all important American documents. There is a wonderful link called The Declaration of Independence: A History that contains information on where the document has traveled over the course of its lifetime, how it was copied and how it is preserved today. Also, be sure to visit the Declaration Timeline. You can learn more about the signers of the Declaration at the Signers Gallery and while you’re there, don’t miss the Signers Fact Sheet (PDF). There is also an excellent Declaration Facts link and not surprisingly, with the popularity of the movie National Treasure, the first question asked and answered there is “Is anything written on the back of the Declaration of Independence?” The answer to that question is Yes – more on that below.

In order for your students to sign the Declaration, have them click on the “sign the Declaration of Independence” link above. They will need to choose a printer type (color or black and white), and after a brief on screen introduction students can select the quill pen they prefer (each produces a different style of writing). Then have each student type their name into the box provided and click the Submit button. Now the most important part of all – up on the screen comes the following message: “Are you sure you want to sign the Declaration of Independence? If you had been a member of the Second Continental Congress in 1776, you were a rebel and considered a traitor by the King. You knew that a reward had been posted for the capture of certain prominent rebel leaders and the largest British armada ever assembled was just outside New York harbor. Affixing your name to the document meant that you pledged your life, your fortune, and your sacred honor to the cause of freedom.” In order for your students to get a better feel for the pressure the members of the Second Continental Congress were feeling, view the video below called John Adams – Declaration of Independence from the HBO miniseries John Adams.

If your students elect to sign, each will view their own signature along with all the other signers on the Declaration of Independence. When they print the document, the following will appear along the bottom: “This image comes from William J. Stone’s 1823 copper plate engraving produced by direct impression from the original Declaration itself.” To learn more about the Stone engraving of the Declaration and see an original copy from 1823 view the video below called The Declaration of Independence – July 4, 1776. The video features author, public speaker, and historic document and manuscript collector Stan Klos and items from his Rebels with a Vision exhibit. In this excellent video you will learn how the Stone engraving was produced and how long it took William J. Stone to engrave the copper plate. Your students will be stunned by the answer. Before I wrap up this post, let’s return to the back of the Declaration of Independence. The National Archives website tells us what is on the back – the words “Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776”. I still cling to the hope that there is an invisible treasure map though – how about you? With that hope in mind, a link to the National Treasure trailer is listed below.

Video link: John Adams – Declaration of Independence (embedded above)

Video link: The Declaration of Independence – July 4, 1776

Video link: National Treasure Trailer

Filed under: Primary Sources, Technology In The Classroom, Video
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Technology and the Role of School Administrators

October 30, 2009 by Ben Edwards · Leave a Comment 

My previous post focused on motivating teachers to take the initiative and embrace the use of technology in the classroom. To be fair to my teaching friends, the responsibility for embracing and integrating technology into K-12 classrooms is certainly more than yours alone, it is shared equally by your school’s administration. In a recent tech article on the Education World website, technology consultant Cathy Chamberlain explains what a difference it makes when the principal and other school administrators are on board. Cathy notes, “In my experience, technology integration is highest in buildings in which the principal is involved and excited about technology and its possibilities and is lowest in buildings in which the principal doesn’t demonstrate technology use while encouraging others to use it too. Modeling technology usage is key if administrators want teachers to play an active role in technology integration.” This concept of modeling technology is outlined further in the article.

Many of you may be familiar with author, educator and consultant Will Richardson. Will was a classroom teacher for over 20 years who integrated blogs, RSS and Internet based technologies into his courses for over four years. For the past three years he has spoken to and worked with thousands of educators around the world on the benefits of “The Read/Write Web” (Web 2.0). In the video below called Challenges for Educational Administrators, Will discusses the role of school administrators in Twenty-first Century education. He explains that educational administrators’ active participation in the very technology they seek to integrate into their schools is important, as is developing a collected vision / long term plan with the input of teachers, parents and other vital members of the community. This will enable organized systemic change as schools make the shift from a traditional “teaching culture” to a more collaborative “learning culture”.

Will Richardson is the author of the highly praised Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. The book’s companion DVD will be released soon and, when it is, Teach History will feature a post on this much awaited product.

Filed under: Books, Technology In The Classroom, Video
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Teachers Who Embrace Technology Change Lives

October 27, 2009 by Ben Edwards · Leave a Comment 

If we educate Twenty-first Century students utilizing only late Twentieth Century teaching methods, I believe we are doing them a great disservice. In the K-12 classroom and beyond we must foster in our students better creative thinking, communication, collaboration and problem solving skills to properly prepare them for a world and workplace where these attributes are in high demand. Students love technology – it’s obvious. Outside of school they immerse themselves in the internet, social networking, computer gaming and a myriad of digital devices. Today’s K-12 teachers can utilize this same technology to keep their students fully engaged and make them enthusiastic about the learning process. The “second generation of Internet-based services” known as Web 2.0 has given teachers the opportunity to make use of tools like blogs, microblogs (such as Twitter), wikis and more. Have you embraced this new technology or has a fear of that technology made you hesitate? At Teach History we’ll be providing tips and information on a consistent basis to help you integrate technology into your classroom.

Did you ever wonder what students would say if teachers actually asked them how they would prefer to be taught? Well now you can get their answers to that question thanks to the excellent article The 21st-Century Digital Learner by Marc Prensky and the remarkably moving video shown below called A Vision of K-12 Students Today written and produced by B. Nesbitt.

Teachers who embrace technology change lives. How many children will you help inspire today by teaching in a way they can relate to? How many students will you engage? How many lives will you change this school year?

Video link: A Vision of K-12 Students Today

Filed under: Technology In The Classroom, Video
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