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Do you have access to a classroom set of netbooks, laptops or desktop computers? Are you wondering where the magic is in making the virtual classroom as productive as your physical classroom?

Image: by Sklathill on Flickr

Most of the magic in maintaining a focus on instruction and learning in a 1 to 1 learning environment is classroom management. As much time as you spend in the beginning of the year developing discipline, procedures and routines in the physical classroom, should also be spent in your virtual classroom. Or better yet, draw comparisons between the two as you work with your students. Also, be be prepared to react swiftly to any student that moves slightly out of the boundaries developed by you and your students.

If a student crosses the boundary or honestly has a technical issue, be sure to have an alternative choice available for that student to accomplish their work. Once you make a practice of demonstrating the swift consequences for positive and negative behavior, students will be more likely to focus on their learning. This also stops the domino effect. I've seen it happen whereby one student “hoses” their computer by purposefully deleting file system folders and has an immediate excuse for not getting their work done. Soon after, more students replicate this behavior. If that student had  had an immediate next step that didn't let him/her get away with excuses, none of the other students would follow suit. It's too much work. So be sure students are responsible for always saving everything to the “cloud.” You may want an alternative netbook for the purpose of checking out to students have challenges. Also have a non-technical alternative available.

I've noticed that classrooms that have taken the same approach to the virtual classroom as they do to the physical classroom have minimal downtime due to technical challenges and zero to few netbook damages.

What have you found works best for you and your students?

Digital Storytelling is an exciting way for students to share the creative energy they've put into crafting their stories. Here's an example of a 1st grade student's work gone digital. Originally her class created a book with paper and crayons to share with their classmates and families. This work was scanned and the author's voice recorded. Now she has work that can be shared across the United States to where her grandparents live. It can be shared anywhere! Even more important, is the thrill the student experienced at being able to hear her own voice and see her work in this format. Now she's creating lists of story ideas and writing more stories than is possible to record. This is a great thing. She's forced to choose her very best work to publish. She's thinking and acting like a real author because she is one. This story below is what lit the literary fire for her. For more information on Digital Story telling, be sure to check out these sites.

• Center for Digital Storytelling
• Digital Storytelling Cookbook (.pdf)
• Downtown Aurora Visual Arts (DAVA)

Disclosure: The author is my delightful daughter.

By the way, the story above was created on a netbook powered by ubuntu. We scanned the images from a scanner using Xsane. The images were cropped and scaled using GIMP (image editor) . Her voice was recorded and edited using Audacity (audio editor) . Then we pulled everything into Kdenlive (video editor) to create the video file. If you don't have Kdenlive installed on your netbook, but would like it, follow the tutorial below that was captured using Screen Toaster. Be warned: The netbooks don't have the processing power needed to fully edit video. For example when I've imported video to cut, splice and render, the preview works in slow motion. This makes it nearly impossible to make fine cuts. So... I would only use Kdenlive on the netbooks to pull in audio and images that are already ordered numerically. This way you can line up the audio and stretch the images to match. Render to .avi or .mp4 (to upload to youtube) and you're done.

The GIMP provides students an excellent tool for  creating nonlinguistic representations of concepts. Whether creating diagrams, summarizing hypotheses, or creating graphics to accompany text, the GIMP can “represent.” “GIMP is the GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed piece of software for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It works on many operating systems, in many languages.”

Below is a lesson using GIMP. The lesson assumes a basic knowledge in using a search engine, downloading files, organizing files within folders and understanding and using technology systems. The lesson also assumes a well-articulated project. The lesson works best in tandem with written work such as a research paper, report, scientific hypothesis, etc. Through the process of developing this image, students should be reflecting on their written words. The process may help clarify some ideas, causing students to further revise their written work.

TOPIC: Creating nonlinguistic representation of a thesis statement.

AUDIENCE: High School English students

PURPOSE: Students will be able to clarify their thesis into a single nonlinguistic representation.

OBJECTIVES:
APS Secondary writing continuum: Relies on self-reflection and critical evaluation of own writing to ensure effective communication of ideas.
ISTE NETS: 2b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.

GOAL: Create a stamp that represents your opinion. For example, "Linux offers students a way to research, create and communicate.”

ASSESSMENT: Using google forms, peers report what they believe their peer's thesis statement is. If the student's peer is able to successfully able to predict the thesis statement, the student has passed.

STEPS

Create a non-linguistic representation of your thesis statement.
1. Decide which images you need to express your idea.
2. Choose the sources finding the right images.
3. Locate the images, download them to a folder. Record the location of the image for your bibliography.
4. Consider your images. Choose the images you'll need and decide how they'll fit together.
5. Combine the images using GIMP to compose a single image that expresses your main idea.
6. Consider your image. Does it successfully represent your idea? If not, go back to step 1.

EXAMPLES:

VOCABULARY:
toolbox, tool options, image window, layers, brushes, patterns, crop

RESOURCES:

• http://www.atomiclearning.com/k12/en/gimp24pc
  

  
  

  • (log in to oneplace and then atomic learning prior to clicking on this link)
• http://docs.gimp.org/2.6/en/

SOURCES:

• Represent Yourself with the GIMP (presentation)
• http://www.aps.k12.co.us/instruct/resources/literacy/secondary.html
• http://www.big6.com/
• http://www.gimp.org
• http://www.iste.org
• http://www.iste.org

Aurora’s school districts are putting their weight behind netbooks for students with help from the Title I stimulus

By AARON COLE

The Aurora Sentinel Published: Wednesday, October 7, 2009 3:56 PM MDT AURORA |

Netbooks — small notebook computers with a 10-inch screen or smaller — are turning into the preferred method for school districts around Aurora to get more computers in more students’ hands.

Cherry Creek recently purchased more than 250 of the personal computers, bringing their total up to 500 netbook computers this year.

Chief Information Officer Ben Startzer said the district would purchase even more of the low-cost netbooks over the next year, eventually bumping that number up to around 1,000.

“Really we see them as affordable and reliable options,” said Startzer.

Similarly, Aurora Public Schools uses 1,100 of the computers at its schools and plans to purchase 600 more this year, according to Ivan Duran, director of APS technology.

That push started a year ago when the district tested about 100 of the small computers at one of its schools to see if the computers would be effective tools in the classroom, Duran said.

Based on that initial success, Duran and the district purchased more, and he says he plans on hitting the 2,000 to 3,000 mark sometime this year.

The local increase is mirrored nationwide. Industry researcher IDC reported in June that the netbook market is projected to grow 60 percent each year from 2008 to 2013.

A Dell spokeswoman said while sales numbers aren’t made public at the company, sales of the netbooks to school districts have risen significantly since the start of the year. The computermaker currently supplies more than 1,000 districts across the country with the netbooks.

Duran said studying the use at other districts prompted APS to purchase the computers last year.

“We did see them as a lower-cost option for teachers to get this technology in the hands of students and really have a direct impact,” he said.

Netbooks have taken off in recent years mainly because of the small price attached to the computers. Most netbooks fall within a $400 to $500 price range, with several models under the $400 threshold.

Comparatively, laptops average around $800, making the netbook purchases ideal for most within the district.

Although underpowered compared to many notebooks and desktops, netbooks are suited mainly for word processing and light Internet duty.

Duran said APS students use the machines for word processing; however, web-based applications allow for the small books to venture into different applications such as photography and video applications. Many of the netbooks are equipped with built-in cameras for students to videoconference.

Netbooks at APS run on Linux Ubuntu, which is a free, open-source operating system distributed on the Internet. That helps keep costs down, Duran said, and the district mainly uses web applications that are freely distributed and require no licensing fees.

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Professional  Development Opportunity

ActivInspire is the newest version of software for Promethean Boards.  This combination in-person and online course will teach you the basics of this updated program and how to integrate it into your daily instruction.  Participants will learn the basics of migrating to ActivInspire, how to create basic flipcharts, use actions and containers, create assessments using ActiVotes, and more.  There will be 2 required face-to-face meetings on October 9 and December 4.  The rest of the class will be held online to better fit busy schedules. 

Week 1 – Downloading ActivInspire, Introduction to ActivInspire, Migrating to ActivInspire
Week 2 – Resource Packs and Working with Images
Week 3 – Magic Ink, Spotlight, Revealer, and other Cool Tools
Week 4 – Working with Sound and Video
Week 5 – Layers and Groups
Week 6 – Containers and Actions
Week 7 – Activotes

In Person Meeting Dates: October 9, 2009 and December 4, 2009
Times:  5:00-5:30pm

Location:  6th Avenue Elementary School – Computer Lab

(New assignments will be posted online every Friday. Participants will have one week to complete and post each 2 hour assignment.)

Interested in attending?  Email your questions to Shannon Wentworth scwentworth@aps.k12.co.us at 6th Avenue.

Course registration is available on Avatar.