Apple Time

This was an incredibly busy week which made it also very interesting. We are learning about the Industrial Revolution and we used a unit that myself and the other U.S. History teacher designed, my colleague Mike Streeter. 3 years ago we attended a National Endowment for the Humanities Landmarks of American History Workshop in Lowell, Massachusetts. Every year NEH sponsors 40 or so different workshops for teachers of the Humanities to apply for. If accepted, you pay for your travel and lodging, but at the end you receive a $1200 stipend. In addition, you can earn college credits. I encourage anyone who teaches Humanities to look them over and apply for one. The options for Summer 2013 are not yet posted but will be very soon and the application deadline is always in March. The unit we created in Lowell is the outcome of that experience. During the workshop we had the chance to experience life on the farm in the 1830's at Old Sturbridge Village. I really love OSV and have been there 4 different times now. Its just like stepping back into history as the whole village is set up like the 1830's with working farms, blacksmiths shops, and more. During the week we also learned about the mills in Lowell and what life was like for the girls who worked there.

 (Mike Streeter observes a lesson on using a Loom at Old Sturbridge Village)

 (Tinsmith at Old Sturbridge Village)

And so we created a project whereby students learn about life on the farm in New England and then life working in the factory. Then they have to create a fake facebook page from the perspective of a young girl in 1848 that reflects the choice she made and how she feels about that choice through the facebook page. We spent a good deal of time during our visiti to Lowell touring the mills and learning about life there.

(Outside of the Boott Cotton Mill in Lowell)

 (Inside of the Boott Cotton Mill where the Lowell girls used to work)

Students have created some interesting fake facebook pages in the past. Here is one of interest. I can't wait to see this year's batch! Students use a keynote or powerpoint file that is a template that looks like a facebook page. They then delete the items there that are placeholders and replace them with their stuff. Here is the Lowell Unit we created. Here is the fake facebook powerpoint file we use to start with.

On Friday of last week my Principal asked me if someone form Apple could come by on eof my classes on Tuesday and see my students using their iPads. I said sure, why not? We are working on the iMovie Trailer project in my History v. Hollywood project so that would be fine. I walked away thinking it was someone form Apple here in Maine. I soon learned that my visitors would be 2 Apple Executive from California, Brent Frey and Mark Benno! I also discovered they would be accompanied by an entourage including the Superintendent, the Principal, our District Tech Team, and 2 folks representing Apple from the State level. This quickly escalated into a "Dog and Pony Show" and was starting to stress me out. I was up front with the students and explained we had to be at our best for our visitors. They were also quite nervous and speculated what they would ask of them. I am happy to report the visit went very well! The executives walked around and interacted with my students. They told me afterwards they were quite impressed with their enthusiasm for the project. The Executives mentioned several iPad accessories we might make use of. The Superintendent mentioned to the executives "maybe we can get some free samples", and one Executive said "I'll see what we can do". It was a stressful 30 minutes and then they left. I know they also visited another classroom in my school as well and maybe others I'm not aware of. It was really interesting and also stressful at the same time. This visit was followed by 4 hours of Parent/Teacher Conferences which served to totally wipe me out! My students were amazing for the Apple visit and I rewarded them with cookies and other goodies on Friday!

 (One of the much coveted Styluses that were available for free at the Apple training)

On Thursday I attended a training on iTunes U Course Manager. What is this you may ask? It is a web based application for hosting courses for students. It is much like "Edmodo" or "Moodle" or even like an online course program like "Blackboard". ITunes U Course Manager is completely free, and it allows for much more capability than the ones I just mentioned. Any individual gets 20 GB for course content, but affiliated institutions (all public schools in Maine) get unlimited GB of space. The best part about it is that it automatically syncs with student's iPads. You can create your course, all of its content, web links, videos, etc. and then it shows up on the iPad. This training was held at the Apple Training Facility at Pineland in Gray, Maine. If you're not familiar with Pineland it has an interesting history! It is now a burdgeoning technological and business park of sorts. The campus is quite large and very beautiful with ponds, gardens, and rolling meadows all around. The Training Facility itself is what you might expect. Not only do they have HD LCD projectors all equipped with Apple TV and with stereo sound in the room, but the seats are ergonomic and comfy with power outlets nearby. There was some free swag available... USB drives, pens, and the most popular items were the styluses for use on iPads. There are 2 different cafes on campus for food and beverage. Its really a nice place to learn and practice! I had the great opportunity to learn how to use iTunes U Course Manager and then preview it on my iPad. I decided to start with my Ethics course, since it is only one semester. I have it about 75% ready for next semester and my goal is to try it out with students next semester to see how it goes. One other aspect of this is the connection with iBooks Author. This is another application we have on our MacBook Airs and iPads. This application allows you to create your own "book" of text, links, etc. and this can be used within iTunes U Course Manager. I was also happy to learn that eBackpack works well with iTunes U Course Manager (as does Edmodo or any other application like that). I developed a headache around lunch time, just because I was doing so much thinking all morning! However I am very happy with this training and can't wait to do more with it!

(View from my seat at the Apple Training)

(Apple Training Facility at Pineland)

A lot happening in a short period of time

It's always nice to have a day off to rest and enjoy family. The Columbus Day Holiday this week provided just such an opportunity. Unfortunately it always seems like short weeks are the most tiring because we seem to try and fit everything in we normally do, we just squeeze it into 4 days instead of 5. To top it off, we also lost 2 classes to PSAT testing.

While the Sophomores and Juniors were testing, I worked with my 9th grade Advisees on thinking about careers. First they created a Dream Collage, then they took the Strong Interest Inventory which gets turned in and then scored to reveal what the best career choices might be for each of them. After this they downloaded an App for their iPads called "Profile Me" and found what their strengths and weaknesses were pertaining to a career. Finally they had a choice of 3 guest speakers. They could play "The Game of Life" and think about what kind of education and career they would need to live the lifestyle they want, they could listen to a Representative from the University of Maine at Augusta discuss college life and admissions, or they could listen to someone from Americorps talk about that as an option during or after College. I think this was a good start for them to get them thinking about what they might like to do after High School. Our Guidance Department is awesome and they work very hard to help students and seem to be one step ahead in planning these types of days with us. I appreciate the hard work they put in!

One of our technology teachers came into my History v. Hollywood class this week and taught my students how to use the iMovie app for their iPads. He was fantastic! I then explained the Film Trailer project they are doing. It requires them to create an original film. Thanks to Donors Choose I received a grant for a Panasonic HD Camera. Students will be able to use this camera as well to create their Trailers. I found a few great websites to help me with this. This iMovie site has great downloadable storyboards to help students plan their project. This how to website was also helpful for thinking about teaching students how to use the app for this project. The Tech teacher who helped me also shared this video tutorial on YouTube that students could refer to as well. I can't wait to see what kind of original trailers for historical movies they create!

The early days of our Republic and the growth of Federal power at the expense of the States was a theme in US history classes this week. Students analyzed 3 Supreme Court cases to show how the Judicial Branch established it power of Judicial Review and the power of the Federal Government. To do this, students had to research and explain the cases. We looked at Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, and Dartmouth College v. Woodward. Students created keynote presentations with their iPads in small groups and used my Apple TV to project right from their iPads.

Also this week we had Parent/Teacher Conferences. If there was a way to do them differently I would like to explore this. As it stands now, we do them for 4 hours after a very long regular school day with a regular school day the next day. These Conferences never fail to wipe me out for the week and have an impact on my family as well as my teaching! I recognize the need for the parents to touch base with teachers, but I wonder if this is the best way? I do not have a clear cut answer for this, but am exploring ideas. When this concept began, the only communication parents had from teachers was a phone call in a dire situation or the old fashioned "snail mail" paper progress report. Conferences were set up to give an opportunity to go further. Now we have email, school websites, and all grades are online and accessible 24 hours a day. Those kinds of discussions that used to happen at Conferences are happening in other ways much sooner in most cases. As a result, I find myself having very little to talk about with parents other than "hello, how are you?" and reconfirming what they already know about their child. This is fine by me, I'm just not sure if its really very helpful for anyone. I wonder if we should look into Student-led Conferences or some other format that might make them more useful for parents and students. In addition, perhaps we can find a format that won't have such a negative impact on my teaching. Those 4 extra hours just seem to sap my energy for the week! Having said this, I always enjoy visiting with the parents, especially when I get to see them more than once because I have had their other children or their child in multiple classes.

(For the record: I have never had this type of situation with a parent, I just thought this was funny!!)

We lost some class time on Friday this week for an Assembly, but it's for a great cause. Every year the whole school participates in a food drive for the week and Friday was the kickoff assembly. it started with a thoughtful and interesting student made film from the Drama Class about hunger in our community. We then had a "game show" with student representatives trying to guess food item prices to give students a sense for the types of food they could donate. There was a brief speech from 2 different folks representing the Good Shepard Food Bank encouraging students to donate and helping them to understand the nature of the problem. Students also found out that for every item or dollar donated they will be awarded a point. As a whole school, if we earn enough points there will be a day with no homework. More points, and it will be a weekend. Even more, a 3 day weekend, and an insanely large amount and Christmas break will be homework free. While the students are very excited about this and the Staff support it (including myself, wholeheartedly) I feel a little like I'm not really sacrificing much because I never give homework on White days anyway! I don't give homework over Christmas break, and there aren't many weekends when I give homework either (except maybe the AP class). It makes me wonder, is there some unwritten rule that I should be giving more homework (I hope not)? Anyway, it's all about the cause of battling hunger and helping our food banks to be stocked for the winter and I am a happy supporter of this incentive! It will culminate next Friday which happens to be Make a Difference Day.

Next week there will be some high level executives from Apple's Education Division visiting my classroom (as well as the classroom of at least one other teacher) to observe my students using iMovie on their iPads. They will be accompanied by the Superintendent, the Principal, and some others. That should be interesting, but wildly stressful!!! I warned my students on Friday they were coming. I will also be attending a training at Apple's Pineland Training Facility here in Maine on using iTunes U Course Manager. I am very excited about this and will blog about what I learn!

Plan of Action

Through our study of the Constitution, it becomes very clear that one area of interest for students is in and around their basic rights as citizens. We spend some time looking at the Bill of Rights and key Supreme Court cases to help them better understand what restrictions on their rights the Courts have found over the years and what the rationale was. This year we had the great fortune of having a guest speaker come in and discuss the 4th Amendment and other constitutional issues. James Lawley is an Attorney at Lipman and Katz locally here in Augusta. Though born in the United Kingdom, Mr. Lawley has studied American law exclusively. He spent many years as a Government appointed Defense Attorney in Alabama working Death Penalty cases as well as other cases. Mr. Lawley gave a brief presentation on the 4th Amendment in general, and also how student rights in public school are more restrictive in general. One of the most fascinating aspect of this talk, to me, was the reminder of how fluid these decisions are and how regional they are. After talking about the need to have evidence that provides a reasonable suspicion of a crime being committed in order to search a vehicle, Mr. Lawley told an anecdote of a woman from Texas who was pulled over on an Interstate Highway in Alabama. She had a snickers bar, a fountain, soda, and an open map in plain view. The police determined this was enough to search the car. They made their decision because of the amount of drugs being smuggled from Texas through Alabama on that same Highway. The courts upheld this ruling much to the shock of Mr. Lawley. His point was that this decision may not have been upheld in Maine or any other part of the country, and that it could also be overturned. His talk was fascinating and educational and it was nice for my students to get ask questions of him as well.

(James Lawley speaking to students. The lighting is bad because I don't know how to control the lights in there)

I was observed on Monday by my Principal for the first time. Since we were studying the Constitution and the early days of the US, I chose a lesson connected to the founding of Political Parties that also incorporates the Common Core. This lesson involves Comparing and Contrasting Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. I got this idea for the lesson from the book The Core Six by Harvey F Silver, R Thomas Dewing, Matthew J Perini. We are using this book in the Cross Discipline Literacy Network sponsored by the Maine Department of Education. I will be demonstrating this lesson as part of a Webinar in Novemeber. I think my observation went pretty well and I look forward to hearing suggestions for ways to improve. My Principal asked me if I use our NWEA test scores. I confessed that I do not because I had only seen a set of them one time and no one had ever instructed me on how I could use them. This kind of data analysis would be very interesting to use and I hope to learn how very soon! One of the things the students are asked to do is to identify the key differences between Hamilton and Jefferson and apply their thinking to a modern Governmental issue. They had to explain how both men would feel about the Affordable Care Act. I was very excited to see in depth learning from most of my students in this activity! I was even more excited to see so many of them being able to show understanding of the Affordable Care Act as well. To enhance our study of these two men, I also shared a couple of videos with my students. Many Americans know Hamilton met his match in a pistol duel in New Jersey at the hands of Vice President Aaron Burr over a personal feud. What most don't know, however, is that ESPN covered the event live!! If you like that, then you'll also enjoy this famous "Got Milk?" commercial that our students are too young to remember at this point!

This week was also characterized by finishing up the film Lincoln in History v. Hollywood and using a Choices simulation in my online class through Virtual High School to re-live the Cuban Missile Crisis. With Columbus Day on Monday, we finished up the week with our annual Workshop Day on Friday which gives students a 4 day weekend. When we put Columbus on trial earlier in the year, we discussed the Holiday and raised questions about whether or not it is deserved. I know many students will be thinking about this on Monday, sort of like this Public Service Announcement from 2009. Our workshop day this year was focused around implementing our 5 year action plan. This Summer our school's Leadership Team attended a retreat for 3 days sponsored by the Great Schools Partnership. At this retreat, we identified school goals and developed an action plan including strategies to improve our school. We used our workshop time on Friday to process one part of this plan and work on implementing a more effective way to communicate with parents and students. The hope is that better communication will help support student learning. It is still very early and we are distracted and fatigued by our NEASC accreditation process (which will be basically over after the visiting team comes in March), but I think this action plan will move our school in the right direction. I know the plan is a bit daunting and Staff put in a lot of work on Friday to get this plan off the ground. I really liked the energy from the Staff on Friday and I appreciate that our Principal organized a wonderful Barbecue for us as well!

Next week half of our students are taking PSAT's, while the 9th and 12th graders will be engaged in Advisee Group activities. I will also be launching the iMovie Trailer project and students in Ethics will be presenting their Moral Courage projects.

The Constitution and the Shutdown

In Ethics class this week we have analyzed Rushworth Kidder's curriculum for identifying and resolving Ethical Dilemmas. Through this process, students learn how to identify Right v. Wrong scenarios, and then if its not Right v. Wrong, it is a situation where there seems to be only 2 options and both are equally Right. We call this a dilemma. Kidder has identified the most common types of dilemmas and articulates strategies for trying to figure out how to resolve the dilemmas. Students will next be choosing someone who has demonstrated Moral Courage and then presenting to the class what this person did and what makes it Moral Courage. One of the best resources for this activity is the web site http://www.americanswhotellthetruth.org/. This website is a series of paintings by Robert Shetterley. It also give a little bit of information about each person. Its a great place for students to start in looking for someone who has demonstrated Moral Courage. What's awesome is that Shetterley is actually from Maine!

(Nelson Mandela, a great example of Moral Courage)

In History v. Hollywood we have begun watching the film Lincoln. When I first saw this film last November, I was blown away by the performance of Daniel Day-Lewis. I remain transfixed by his work here, but upon repeated viewings I really feel Tommy Lee Jones was somewhat overlooked as Thaddeus Stevens. At any rate, the work of Stephen Spielberg here is pure genius!

Great conversations in class about the techniques of Spielberg and about how films teach about the Civil War and Slavery. We start our film projects next week!

In my other classes we have continued our study of the Constitution. Much time was spent this week on the Bill of Rights and also on how the Courts have ruled that these Rights are slightly different in public schools for a variety of reasons. To help with this we have a guest speaker coming in on Monday. This guest speaker is an Attorney who will discuss 4th Amendment Rights and other rights as well.

One of the biggest issues of the week was the Government shutdown. Students have had lots of questions and its really a tough subject to explain briefly. The most accurate resources I found for this are Democracy Now! and Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. Still, its a complex topic and students want an easy answer!

Next week I will be observed by my Principal delivering my first Common Core aligned lesson (which I will share), we have the guest speaker coming, and showdown between Hamilton and Jefferson!!!