Turning Point Blogs!

BLOGGING - Makes me feel like I'm on the Bridge of the Enterprise!

While it is much more nerdy and C21 I can't help but feel like a pirate radio privateer from 40 years ago. While this job is done with much more assistance (most bloggers don't codde - we don't even know how to spell it!) I still love the idea that like a pirate radio station what we create will be appreciated by our select audience, and that it could potentially help any number of people who happen by the blogs. I admit  it, I may be stretching it.

Nevertheless, Turning Point now have a couple of blogs! In addition to this one dedicated to the TLLP process, I mean. As of last week every assignment currently available for grade 11 and grade 12 college level English (ENG3C and ENG4C) can be accessed via our new English blog - TurningPointEnglish@blogspot.com. As many of our students are also working full time hours, an ability to access their assignments remotely is a major boon. Moreover, students can use the iPads (or the computers) to access their electronic assignments while at school - replacing the dated filing cabinet and photo copier methods.

The online format also provides a very user friendly platform for sharing assignments with other teachers. Keep in mind that Turning Point runs as part of the alternative education umbrella at the HWDSB. We are a ram-shackle crew of 30-40 dedicated teachers spread out over a dozen sites all trying to deliver every credit with some modicum of credit integrity, standardization, and differentiation. The blog platform can be accessed by anyone - and we are already making connections with other alt. ed. teachers out there who need resources and who have resources to share. Our teaching world is unique, but that doesn't mean that we all need to reinvent the wheel.

So I know we're slow learners, and I know that educators have been blogging since the early days - but I'm still proud of myself for learning another way to connect with my students. This isn't a game changer, and it isn't even really that tied-in with the iPads, but it's still development, still progress, and it needs to be celebrated and encouraged.

Check out our first curriculum blog TurningPointEnglish@blogspot.com and let us know what you think. Also keep checking for new subject specific blogs, we'll continue to work on it, but we're very open to suggestions/tips.

Early (Modest) Success

(Photo/Flickr Flickingerbrad) 

Well the fun has really begun at Turning Point. A few weeks ago we started encouraging students to use the class iPads using some of the new lessons/assignments we've developed. For the most part, the feedback has been positive. Everyone says they're 'neat' and they paw at them like groggy eyed kids on Christmas morning - and while they do get a little disappointed when they realize they aren't set up for gaming or social media-ing, no one has turned one down yet. 

For the most part students are using them as an updated library (books and videos) as well as a curriculum resource - completing assignments created in educreations, utilizing educational apps, and via the net on our new blogs (more to come on these soon). Which is pretty much what we had intended when pitching the project.

So far it's working out well. The library is more secure (they don't take them home the way they did books) but more interesting (newer titles, hook-y ebook format), it contains a much more streamlined media library (our computer population is pretty tired) and they don't complain when they get a new assignment (not right away, anyways).

We still are interested in what we can do with these in regards to assessment and student creation - we've asked them to explain their learning with an eductreation - but it's not perfected yet and we're still playing around with ways and means.

Ultimately the iPads do something that we expected but are still pleased with - the iPads make our students excited about being at school, maybe for the first time in a decade. These learners, our students, have, for whatever reason, not had success at some point in school. When they realize that they still have a chance to graduate with a meaningful diploma, they get excited. And when they learn that they also get to work with advanced, premium quality resources, they come back. It isn't a panacea by any accounts, but it doesn't hurt to remind students that learning should be interesting, even fun. The iPads will no doubt continue to be used in more innovative and enriching ways, but already they are helping our learners get the job done.

Progress Report Season

I had a lot of hope during this progress-report season.  The iPad has been a versatile, portable device allowing me to take pictures of student work, take video of their presentations, and record audio of conferences.  I think this three months has seen me procure way more assessment information than I normally would.  My thought back in October was, "This is going to be great; I can show parents EVERYTHING their child is doing."


Ah, then there's the "IF." If I only had more memory space.  If I didn't have to export files to my personal laptop.  If I could find an app that could manage all of the data.  What was originally going to be me opening up each student's Evernote "note" to show to parents became the traditional "this is what is happening in our class, this is what your child is doing."  Actually, this was the year that students directed their own interview, but that's another story.  Back to my wishes and reality, part of the issue is Evernote.  It's a good app.  However, when I learned that it couldn't hold video, I needed a resource for storing video to include with Evernote.  Another teacher informed me about Vimeo.  It is a web portal for storing video which you can access through an http address.  Upside?  I have a place to store all that video instead of my own laptop.  Downside?  Unless one decides to pay to upgrade their user status, they're limited to uploading only 5GB per week.  With recording presentations and evidence of collaborative problem-solving, I could bump up against that barrier in one day...easily.

I am leaning toward purchasing the annual Vimeo upgrade.

Conferences did go well.  Parents enjoyed listening to their child talk about their learning, their strengths, and their chosen areas to improve in.  They also appreciated watching and listening to recorded evidence of their learning.  It wasn't as "tablet-based" as I would have wanted, but it was the best set of progress report interviews I've ever had.

Syncing and Growing Pains

The learning curve in this project is quite exciting, if frustrating. We now have most of our hardware in place - the most exciting of which, at least for this avid typer, are the various bluetooth keyboards we are trying out with the pads.

We only have a few different kinds - one that is also a case, one made by HipStreet that the pad sits in, and two wireless apple keyboards. We're testing them out to see which we prefer, in different applications, in case we decide we would like more. And so far they are working well. Or, should I say, well-ish. One issue we're starting to realize is not uncommon is syncability (I make up words all the time, it's a condition) - the ability for disparate software and hardware to work together with the iPad.

For instance - we are using the Cloudon app as a cloud based storage space and document generator. We like Cloudon because it not only allows you to view .doc/.ppt/.xls files, but you can create them as well (you can't do that with the pads while using Dropbox/Google Drive - so far as we can tell). However, the first time I tried to use the HipStreet keyboard with Cloudon - it was essentially a non-starter. After a while I realized that you need to be very particular with the order in which you do things for the keyboard to work - and the arrow keys (something I desperately miss on the touch pad keyboard) are always a little funky.

I'm sure this will improve - with lots of parties involved (Cloudon people, apple people, HipStreet people) there is sure to be some communication woes - but as the pads become more of a known commodity in our world, and as accessory companies have longer to play with them, I am sure these inks will get ironed out. In the mean time we're finding the best combinations and running with them.

The BIG news is that our pads are now in the hands of our students - which will speed up this whole learning curve in a big way as well, I am sure. Wish us luck!

Has anybody experienced any "syncing" problems with other apps/accessories? Just curious. 

Blogging away

One thing that has been a nice addition for us. Is the integration of blogs based on our subjects. These blogs are led by the teachers and contain assignments for the students to work on. As a background many of our students do not have the ability to come to school everyday. The reasons could vary from parenting duties, employment to mental health issues. These subject based blogs allow for students in those situations to keep up with their studies. It also lets students work ahead if they choose or catch up if they miss school for various reasons.

Need a date?

Part of this project has been trying to improve productivity between my peers and myself.  We are a small team of four who have little time to meet throughout the week. Since we are also a program that has limited support administratively, it is imperative that we communicate and be organized as a group.  There are student intakes, course add/subtracts, counselling, graduation ceremonies and all around administrative duties to be done. The best way to do this is through productivity apps.

We started to improve our productivity through the google suite of software.  The reason for this was two fold. One, we were introducing the google suite to the students as it is a free web based software so it is something they can all use for life, no matter if they own technology or not.  While doing this we became more immersed in the programs ourselves. From that point it was an easy extension to see the benefit of the google suite for our productivity as a staff.

Though we use the google software regularly, there were some issues synching it to the iPad. The one area that stood out was synching the staff calendars to each other and the to individual iPads. The issue that became apparent was that items put into your google calendar synced to your iPad but items entered into your iPad calendar did not sync to the google calendar.

The solution was to get a calendar app that did this. After reviewing a few apps I ended up purchasing the app "Calendars". It is a simple install and syncs great to the google calendars. It is a great app for overcoming the Apple vs. Google software battle.

iBooks Oops! Finding Limitations With iBooks.

If this project is about learning, then I guess I'm doing well. And if the root of all learning is making mistakes, perhaps epic mistakes, then I am excelling! Let me explain. 

I am an English teacher, and as an English teacher in an alternative setting, I am always looking for books. Not just any books, though. They need to be high interest (I have reluctant readers, mostly). They also are received better if they are new(ish). Perhaps most importantly, they need to be cheap - like most English departments, the book budget starts small and shrinks daily. Thus my excitement when the possibility of using iBooks came about. 

This near perfect solution would work in so many ways: they could be current; they could be high interest; and they could never be stolen/lost/damaged (we allow students to sign out paper books, but we do not let them sign out the iPads). It seemed like a perfect system, and I still think it will work out great. But I have identified an issue. 

I recently stumbled upon this issue in a round about way. Here's my story.

I started by preparing a list of books I wanted to buy, and I downloaded the samples of these books - this way I could peruse the material, determine if it was suitable for class, and go from there. So I chose a book - From Hell, a graphic novel by acclaimed artist Alan Moore. The reviews were convincing - the text was compelling (the story of Jack the Ripper), I liked the idea of using a graphic novel. Great. Until I got home one day and decided I had better read the whole thing - all I'd read was the prologue (what was included in the sample you can download before purchasing from the iStore). So wasn't I surprised when I read the 3rd page after the prologue, and found a rather explicit (if short) sex scene! Now my students are almost all over 18, so this may have been fine - if I didn't get a GRAPHIC NOVEL! 

Nowhere in the description to the book did it mention these types of scenes, it wasn't rated for Adults Only, and without the ability to browse through the entire book (as you can with a traditional book in a brick and mortar book store), I was taken completely by surprise. The prologue included a pair of old men talking and walking by the shore, how was I to know what was coming? 

Needless to say, my students won't be reading From Hell, at least not as part of their school library. I went through the iPads and deleted it from them all. Fortunately, iBooks doesn't require you to purchase a class set (up to 10 iPads can share one purchase - so a "class set" is much cheaper this way) - but I will be more leary going forawrd, particularly when it comes to buying Graphic Novels. 

Does anyone have any ideas for previewing eBook purchases before spending any money? Am I going to have to go to a brick and mortar store, peruse the hard copy book, then retire to my quarters and purchase the now vetted title via the iBook store. I think it's my best option at this point - I just don't want to spend any more money unnecessarily. C'est la vie.