7 free ways to capture student responses without costly clickers

Most educators are familiar with student response systems (SRS) a.k.a. clickers. Common brands are eInstruction, Sentio, TurningPoint, Activote. Those who use the systems know they run about $2,500 - $4,000 (depending on various options selected) for a class set and allow educators to track student learning, engage an entire class as they collect real-time responses from students, and enable them to quickly assess understanding and achievement. While these are valuable instructional outcomes, clickers are costly and the distribution, collection, and maintenance of devices is rather cumbersome. In many cases using them requires training to figure out how to upload the software, input questions, maneuver from one question to the next and share answers.

Here’s the thing. You don’t spend money and professional development time to purchase clickers. You can capture student’s thoughts and ideas for free using whatever device they have whether it’s a dumb phone, tablet, or  laptop.  

Here are seven free resources you can use to get started.

6 Reasons to Incorporate “Smithsonian Quests” Into Your Classroom

By Ashley Naranjo, Education Technician for the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies

For some time now, the education community has discussed and explored how to get out of the standardized-testing rut and make learning enjoyable again. Online games and challenges, real-world work, and point systems have been a few of the ideas kicked around by educators and tech-enthusiasts alike. Earlier this school year, a New York Times article highlighted the benefits of using digital badges to enable students, including those writing their college-admission essays, to demonstrate their knowledge and skills.

A new online program from the Smithsonian called Smithsonian Quests gives K-12 students the opportunity to earn digital badges just by learning more about topics that already interest them. Educators at the Smithsonian have considered all of the points on teachers’ instructional checklists while offering a fun learning experience for students. See if the program corresponds to your own checklist:

What’s hot for innovative educators around the globe

When it comes to education, it seems no matter where in the world you are from, the same innovative practices bring us together. This week at Microsoft’s Partners in Learning Global Forum hundreds of educators from more than 80 countries came together to showcase, learn, discuss and think about innovative teaching, learning, and leading practices.

Take a look below to see what was hot around the globe and think about how you might tackle one or some of these where you work in the New Year. When you find a topic of interest, click the link to read, watch, discuss and learn more.

Personalized Learning
How can we help ensure student voice and choice are top priorities; education is responsive to students’ needs, interests and aspirations; and that they’re given the skills and experiences vital to success in the 21st Century?
Student Voice
How can we help to ensure students have a say in what, when, where, how and why they learn? What are ways we can listen to students’ needs, interests and concerns? How can we empower youth to understand and act on the world's greatest challenges?

The Innovative Educator’s Top 20 Blog Picks

Here are my must-read blog recommendations for those who want to catch up on the latest news and trends in the area of innovation and education. These are blogs that have been in existence for at least a year. As an innovative educator, I am influenced by a range of sources such as principals, teachers, students, policy makers, parents, icons, and career experts. Listed below alphabetically are the blogs / bloggers that I follow to get ideas when it comes to supporting students in learning innovatively.

1. Adora’s Blog - Adora Svitak Teenager Adora Svitak is author, student, teacher, activist, and blogger who is passionate about bringing student voice to the education transformation conversation. Adora is a student leader. When you read her blog you connect with the her thoughts, dreams, predictions, and opinions that are representative of many students passionate about ed reform. Adora recently launched The Student Union Blog where young people can submit a text post, audio, quote, or video in answer to the question "What does learning mean to you?"
2. Angela Maiers Blog - Angela Maier Angela Maiers is a leader in passion driven learning and supporting teachers and leaders in creating learning opportunities that really matter for students.
3. BiblioTech.me - Michelle Luhtala
   BiblioTech.me is the blog of Librarian Michelle Luhtala who is a leader in thinking outside the ban and out of the blocks. Michelle was helped to lead the way for her school to trust students to use their own technology as well as have access to all web content. In her blog Michelle shares what happens when we stop fighting and start entrusting our children with the freedom to learn with the tools and resources of their world.
4. Career / Homeschooling - Penelope Trunk Innovative educators must always keep their eye on the prize. That is helping to raise young people that will have a successful home and career life. Penelope Trunk is the go to person for today and tomorrow’s career entrants. She is a trend spotter that knows what employer’s are looking for and what makes today’s youth tick. She is also an expert on managing the career / life balance. Her recently launched homeschooling blog features her journey of removing her children from school and taking ownership of their learning. She provides first-hand accounts of the rewards and struggles experienced by a dedicated, working mom.
5. Children Should Not Be a Number - Chris Cerrone
   This blog is authored by a parent and educator who is standing up and speaking out against standardized testing with a goal to return the freedom to learn to the hands of children.  The blog is Cerrone’s effort to start a movement to end standardized testing in New York State and our nation. He explains that parents need to start this revolution by opting out their children from state testing programs in order to take back public education from the corporate reformers who are destroying the education of our children. He is frequently covered in the local and national media about the ideas he shares in his blog and a contributor to opt out of testing sites such as Opt Out New York.
6. Connected Principals - George Couros Hear from school thought leaders from elementary through high school including some amazing princpals who I always look to for insight, advice and guidance like Eric Sheninger, Lyn Hilt, and George Couros, David Truss, Patrick Larkin, Jonathan Martin
7. Cooperative Catalyst - Multiple Contributors
   The Cooperative Catalyst brings together some of my favorite educator and student voices in education to come together to propose solutions and structures for re-imagining what self-directed learning can and should be. Many of the contributors also have their own blogsand sites which I highly recommend. Here are the contributing students (Nikhil Goyal, Jabreel Chisley, Line Dalile) and educators who guide and inspire my thinking (Marybeth Hertz, John T. Spencer, David Loitz, Monika Hardy, Shelly Sanchez Terrell, Kyle Pace, Pernille Ripp, Deven Black, Pat Farenga, Gwyn Ridenhour, Kirsten Olson, Paula White, Pamela Moran, David Wees, Melia Dicker).
8. For the Love of Learning - Joe Bower
   Joe Bower is my go to man for examples and research supporting the need to update our outdated practices in the areas of homework, assessment, standardization, accountability, and grading.
9. Getting Smart™ - Tom VanderArk This is a great site if for those interested in online learning and personal digital learning. Here you’ll learn about the latest trends, like badges for credentialing students, and important reports, products, and information.
10. Hagan’s World of Awesome - Hagan Miller
    Join young Hagan in his world of Awesome as he shares what learning looks like through the eyes of an early elementary student. Hagan began his blogging journey in Kindergarten recounting his awesome life via photos and Dragon Dictation, going back to correct any errors, and then working with his mom to finalize and publish stories about his awesome life. Read this blog to get the rarely seen perspective from the life of a child.
11. Laurie A. Couture's Blog - Laurie A. Couture Laurie A. Couture's blog provides a wealth of information in areas such as alternatives to meds for ADD/ADHD, respecting youth, and learning through life. Laurie provides real-life examples via her work with young people who've been damaged by school and through the beautiful way she implements these practices in her own family with her remarkable son Brycen R. R. Couture who among other things is a musician and child activist who blogs here.
12. Minds of Kids - Lisa Cooley The Minds of Kids is authored by radical school board member and progressive education thought-leader Lisa Cooley. Read this blog and its comments if you want to discover education transformation efforts from the view of a school board member.
13. Mrs. Yollis’ Classroom Blog - Mrs. Yollis
    This is the blog of elementary teacher, Mrs. Yollis who does a wonderful job of connecting her students to the world through the use of online media. This is a wonderful blog for anyone interested in best practices when it comes to blogging with students. Mrs. Yollis’s students have the option to contribute to the classroom blog, and comment, but it is not a requirement. Those students who show exceptional interest in writing can apply to have their own blogs. If you want to learn about best practices for connecting with the world through blogging, commenting, and Skype this blog is for you.
14. My Island View - Tom Whitby
    Known for his famous tropical shirts, Tom Whitby’s day job is teaching teachers to be teachers at the college level. He began this work after a few decades as a secondary English teacher in the NY public school system. Tom is a leader in connecting and making meaning through the use of social media including LinkedIn, The Educators PLN, and most prominently via Twitter for which he received the Edublog Award for the most Influential Educational Twitter Series, Edchat, which he founded. For those who are interested in discovering the power of social media in general, and Twitter in particular, this is a great blog.
15. Practical Theory - Chris Lehmann
    Here's the blog of the person who'd get my vote for U.S. Secretary of Education. Read Practical Theory. Chris Lehmann is a renowned thinker, writer, and speaker who every policymaker and administrator should be listening to. Lehmann is the principal of the Science Leadership Academy. He is known for leading a school that does more than teach subjects, but rather teaches unique individuals with passions, talents, and interests in an environment where technology like oxygen, is expected to be all around and used on an ongoing basis for survival and success in today’s world.
16. Seth Godin’s Blog - Seth Godin Known for his writing about about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, leadership and most of all, changing everything, took a plunge into the education arena this month with his manifesto, Stop Stealing Dreams.  Seth provides no shortage powerful quotes and inspirational ideas via his blog posts. Though Seth is widely popular, he’s not too busy to stop by and leave a comment or even make a call to authors of blogs who write about his ideas.   
17. The Daily Papert - Gary Stager
    Gary Stager is a provocative, antagonist, who is never afraid to tell it like it is. Stager has on the money ideas about topics like assessment and project based learning and he is happy to share them via his blog and social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Gary draws heavily on his work and experience with Seymour Papert, creating The Daily Papert as an effort to bring bite-size nuggets of Papert wisdom with an intent to inspire educators, parents, scholars and citizens to investigate more of Papert’s work in years to come.
18. Skipping School - Kate Fridkis Kate Fridkis is a 20-something Ivy league college graduate who is a lay cantor and successful writer who never attended school before College. She spent her life learning without school via a method called unschooling where youth are empowered and entrusted to learn naturally in life and explore and discover their passions. Kate explains how you can learn anything and achieve your dreams without school. Read this blog and be ready to rethink many of your preconceived notions about teaching and learning. Note: While this blog is not currently active as of 2/12, the rich content is worth checking out.
19. The Innovative Educator - Lisa Nielsen My blog, The Innovative Educator, is written with inspiration and guidance from all those mentioned in this list. I love sharing ideas about giving students the freedom to learn with the tools, resources, and in the ways they love best. I believe we should always support young people in leading a life of happiness and satisfaction where they can discover and develop their passions and that we should do our best to never go against the wishes of a child or their parent.
20. Read. Write. Connect. Learn - Will Richardson I’ve been following education blogger Will Richardson since his days as a classroom English Teacher where he spent 22 years. Richardson has been blogging for more than a decade serving as an outspoken advocate for change in schools and classrooms in the context of the diverse new learning opportunities that tech innovation now offers. Richardson has inspired many to share their voice through blogging on online media and had a great impact on my decision to launch The Innovative Educator more than four years ago.

Stay connected this summer by becoming a connected educator

Just because the school year ends doesn't mean the learning stops among innovative educators. Instead they stay connected. What does that look like? Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach does a terrific job of explaining  in the below infographic ways we can stay connect in the summer and across the school year.  How will you stay connected this summer and beyond?

Read the original post on the Powerful Learning Practices blog at this link.

As I read through a day in Susan's life, I could very much relate as I use all those wonderful tools and resources each week.  What about you?  Which of these tools do you use, not use or wonder about?  

5 ideas for helping students fund their dreams

There is perhaps nothing more important in the work of a teacher than to help students achieve real-world success.  Unfortunately, many public school teacher's hands are tied because mandates give students no choice and they are forced to sentence their students to days filled with drill, kill, and bubble fill under fluorescent lights and behind closed doors where they're denied such basic freedoms.  Fortunately, by June, much of test prep, test, and field tests are behind them and teachers can help prepare their students for some meaningful learning as they escape into the summer months.  

Blake Boles who coordinates teen adventure trips has some great advice for teens who are interested in funding their dreams.  Doing this is perhaps one of the best ways to teach students math (business, finance), writing, communications, digital literacy, entrepreneurship, social literacy, independence, and empowerment.  


Boles recommends teens use IndieGoGo, which lets anyone start a project. Over the past year he's used IndieGoGo to raise $2,370 to build the Zero Tuition College social network and $9,200 to publish his new book, Better Than College.


He provides five ideas for teens who want to fund their dreams. 

Want interactive learning? Forget the Smartboard. Consider 3D!

Gaia 3D - Finally! An ed product that doesn’t kill
creativity, imagination, or critical thinking!

In school I learned to HATE many subjects. For example I hated history because strangers, strange lands, and strange facts seemed to have no place on the strange timeline I was told to memorize but for which I had no learning context. At the same time, one of my favorite (though admittedly, not safest) pastimes was to sneak into abandon homes and learn about the past through artifacts, newspapers, letters, magazines, and really anything I could find.  I could sit in a house for hours reading through and looking at everything. I was fascinated with looking at what prices were in the past, the sort of businesses that people were in and the language in the letters that people wrote.  I also learned to HATE science. Memories of a boring lecture followed by read chapter 6 and answer the questions at the end, still haunt me. At the same time, I was fascinated with the ocean and sea life. I loved snorkeling and later SCUBA diving and wanted to know all about the creatures of the sea.

School should not be a place that kills our love for that which fascinates us in the real world. Unfortunately, for many, textbooks, tests, and teacher lectures strip away the excitement and discovery of learning. 


Fortunately, things can be different for children today, with the introduction of Gaia 3D.  This innovative technology literally transports learners back in time to meander through ancient streets on an exploration of the past. Learning is brought to life as children can take a class trip to places like ancient Rome, through WWI barracks, or through 17^th century London during the bubonic plague.  What is even cooler is that learners are not just exploring and discovering. As they develop interests in various areas they can do further research and then add their findings to the 3D content. For example, a student interested in the bubonic plague, could create a video about how the rats spread the plague and when clicking on a rat, the video could be programmed to play.  Perhaps a student interested in the ancient Rome practice of selling children into slavery or marriage wanted to create an audio script or poem of what a young girl felt. This audio could be added to the content. The options to add original content are endless. 

Innovative Educators Enable Students to Break Free From the Classroom and Connect with The World

If you read this month’s Education Week, you may have noticed I was quoted in article U.S. Schools Forge Foreign Connections Via Web which explains how American students are teaming up with classrooms around the world to learn valuable lessons. The piece features anecdotes of young people connecting and learning with others like the American students who videoconferenced with students in Egypt when President Hosni Mubarak stepped down. Americans and Egyptians both were in awe, clapping and laughing and sharing in a moment of global importance. Donna Rose, the director of the American school’s program explained that they had a real-life lessons in “what freedom is, what a democracy means, how fortunate they are to be where they are, and how people have to struggle to get to that level.” She shared that “In a heartbeat, they changed their view of humanity” and asked, “How could I have done that on my own?”

The reality is that not only is it true that Ms. Rose couldn’t have done that on her own, she shouldn’t have. In the age of the internet the world is indeed flat. We no longer need to depend on politicians, agenda-backed textbooks, or the media to tell us about other peoples and cultures.  We can connect ourselves easily with tools like Skype, Facebook, Twitter, and Google Hangout and with the advent of Google Translate it has become even easier to understand people from around the world.

In the article I shared how I thought this would affect children and our society explaining that it’s really easy to hate what you don’t know. However, I believe social media will help break down barriers and help build tolerance in our word. In fact, in the future, I think there are going to be big changes in the way countries are defined, because people around the world are going to be connecting and bonding with each other in a way that doesn’t involve places, but rather their ideas and passions.

It is no longer acceptable for educators to keep children confined to a classroom. Even with just one computer and the internet, any classroom can, and should, be transformed into a global communication center. Read about how teachers across America like Suzie Nestico and The Flatclassroom Project, are doing just that in this month’s Education Week.

Join Me Tonight for A Wild and Wacky Evening of Fun on Teachers Teaching Teachers!

I am among an exciting cast of innovators that will be joining tonight's Teachers Teaching Teachers. I hope you'll join me by listening in and participating in the chat room at http://edtechtalk.com/live-ttt at 9:00 PM Eastern / 6:00 PM Pacific - World Times: http://goo.gl/u3le0

In addition to me, Lisa Nielsen, we'll be hanging out with hosts Chris Sloan, Monika hardy, and Paul Allison. Other featured guests include: Alexander Pappas, Katherine von Jan, Phill Pappas.

During the show, you'll probably hear words like: innovative, alternative, academic deviance, uncollege, unschooling, courage, wacky ideas, grit, life, and getting through school with ADHD. 

I'm particularly psyched to hear from Katherine von Jan the lady behind RadMatter, the innovation design studio singularly focused on reinventing college for the 21st century.  

Steve Jobs Tells Us Why Dropping Out Was a Key to Finding His Passion

Death is life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. -Steve Jobs

I often write about my frustration around data-not passion-driven learning, the narrowing of the curriculum and the new College for all mandate in American schools today as part of the Common Core Standards.  We are not widgets, we are people and we shouldn't all be pushed down the same one-size-fits all path.  


In this video, Steve Jobs reminds us, "The only way to do great work is to love what you do."  "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life... Don't be trapped by dogma which is living out the life of other people's thinking."  Ed reformers must listen to Job's message and stop forcing our children down a path and start letting them make their own choices for what might be best for them.  

Visionary Steve Jobs shares these ideas in the commencement speech below.  

Don't be sad because it's over. Smile because it happened. -- Dr. Seuss

Rethinking Learning with A Child-Centered Lesson Plan

Editor’s note:  After reading How Andgragogy Might Look in the Classroom on the Mystified Mom blog, I asked if she could pull out the parts regarding lesson plans so that people could get a better idea of what a learner-centered lesson plan would look like. 


Guest Post by Mystified Mom

People often claim that learner-centered methods are not practical for mass delivery systems due to the fact that standards have to be met. As a veteran educator, I have not found this to be true. To follow are the eight parts of a lesson plan and my comments about what could be added to gear them toward how students learn best. 


Header
The header typically include the teachers name, grade level, topic, and time allotment. This is all standard information. The one piece of information that can be rethought is the time allotment. Unless things have changed, the typical time allotment for a lesson is 30 minutes to an hour. Every now and then, I will see lessons that take longer or will span the course of a few days. Students and teachers should allot more time to do lessons. 

Top Ten Ed Tech Issues This School Year

I was recently asked what I saw as the top ed tech issues this year.  Here are the first things that came to mind. 

1) Passion (Not Just Data) Driven Learning
2) Bring your own tech
3) Reducing use of filters and empowering students to do this work by engaging responsibly online
4) Reducing fear of teacher /student relationships i.e. Social media doesn't cause inappropriate behavior, it catches it.
5) Authentic ePortfolios for teachers and students
6) Developing a responsible and impressive digital footprint
7) Supporting students in developing a responsible and impressive digital footprint
8) Developing your personal learning network
9) Empowering students to develop their personal learning network
10) Authentic publishing for teachers and students

These also happen to be some of my most favorite things to write about here on The Innovative Educator blog. I look forward to sharing and growing ideas with all of you :) I also wonder what's missing?  Are there other things you'd like to see addressed?

Student Inspires Educators to Think Outside the Ban

I had the pleasure of meeting Travis Allen at this year’s International Society of Technology Educator’s conference.  Travis explained that as a high school student he felt rather bound and trapped by the prison of school that enforced outdated restrictions that did not allow him the freedom to learn. It began with his parents getting him an iPhone for Christmas. He immediately found he enjoyed the endless list of applications on it and shortly after, began looking into educational apps to help in school. It wasn’t long before he realized the amazing capabilities this device would have in education.  He was so inspired by the unlocked potential of these devices that he made the following video, called the iSchool Initiative.

The State of Digital Education

Created by Knewton and Column Five Media

See Me Live Discussing How to Connect School Life to Real Life

I had the pleasure of speaking to thousands of educators from around the world about the importance of connecting school life to real life at the 140 Character Education Conference.  You can see my talk below followed by the presentation I used during my talk.  I hope you will consider sharing my talk and presentation with others.  Both are available for download for free.



My presentation.

Connecting School Life to Real Life on Prezi

Here are the other talks from the conference.

Improve Student Success by Setting Them Free From Outdated Time and Space Constructs

We're well past the time of the industrial model yet everyone is still set in the same old way of doing things at work and school even though it clearly makes no sense at all. Let's start with school. While many openly admit that they know school is not what is best for their children, parents often need to send their children anyhow because of the free babysitting services it provides.  Therefore, for primary students the early start and after school become a necessary evil.  However, once children become more independent in their teen years their is no reason to stick to this outdated construct. In fact, there is plenty of evidence indicating that due to their circadian rhythms teens perform poorly at the very hours most school occurs.  Why not implement some simple options like having independent study each day that the child can engage in first thing or at the end of the day, and even have the option to do it inside or outside of school?  Why not give teachers the same flexible scheduling option as well? Many know that the school bus schedule has a lot to do with it, but 1) not all kids take the school bus 2) resourceful parents, teens, and educators can help figure transportation options out.

As long as we're talking about schedules, we should also reconsider whether responsible teens need to be physically tied to a building all day.  Let's face it.  Lessons can be delivered easily via YouTube or Podcasts and support for students can be provided through personal learning networks or Google Hangouts if when/necessary.  Everyone going at the same pace through the same content in the same place is an unnecessary throwback to the industrial age.  If you're thinking not all kids have equity and access, stop.  Schools need to help figure this out.  I was doing this more than a decade ago in a low income school in Central Harlem. We need to ensure every kid who needs it has a place to go to access the internet.  Connect with business, community centers, mentors, parks.  If you are completely unresourceful, there's always school if the students and adults can't figure it out...but I bet given the choice, they would.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post.  Why Working 9 - 5 Ain't the Way to Make a Livin.  

The Pencil Integration Blog - A Historical Perspective

If only ever child had access

Innovative educators who've struggled with integrating technology into a school system stuck in the past will get some comic relief and inspiration from John T. Spencer's blog, "Adventures in Pencil Integration." Written as an allegory for contemporary educational technology issues, Adventures in Pencil Integration tells the fictional story of Tom Johnson, who is fighting to integrate technology into his classroom. He fights small battles regarding whether students should be able to bring their own pencils from home, whether pen pal letters will "ruin relationships," whether pencils are the cause of "pencil bullying" and why short-hand text will not ruin the language. The larger, external conflict initially feels like it's about getting pencils into the hands of students. But it's more than that. It's fighting against a new, emerging factory system of education while still encouraging the use of these new tools in a more human way.

The idea here is that technology does not exist in a cultural or social vacuum. There are layers of political and social events, personality conflicts and institutional procedures that make meaningful "pencil integration" a difficult endeavor.

The 12 Most Important Things to Know About 21st Century Learners

The 12 Most blog is pretty cool.  It asks writers to contribute the 12 most of anything.  This could be a great authentic opportunity in a writing class.  Angela Maiers put together a post identifying the 12 Most Important Things to Know About Kids Today.  In her post it becomes clear that when it comes to “kids today” (Gen Y or The Millennials) those who label them as entitled, directionless, having twitter-sized attention spans— are the ones with the problems.  


Below are the five ideas that resonated most with me because these are ideas that are often left behind in classrooms driven by outdated data and instruction.  

Webdoc - Great Tool to Bring Learning to Life Through Multimedia

I discovered Webdoc.com at the 140edu conference.  The company did something really cool.  They made a Webdoc of each presenter like the one they created below that features me and my talk.  You can see the others here. 



What is cool about webdoc is that you can so easily embed or drag and drop all sorts of content / media right onto the page and it is also designed for discussion / conversation that can have media included as well.

Here are some ways I can envision using it in education:

A Special Teacher’s Story of “That Kid”

Peggy Sheehy is “That Teacher.” You know the one.  The one that you remember after you graduate. Not because she helped you fill in the bubblesheet well or do a great job at answering the questions at the end of the chapter or diagram a sentence.  Those are the teachers you want to forget.  Peggy is the teacher kids will remember not because she is so stylish or because she has the coolest and funkiest hair of any adult around...though she does!  


Peggy received her Master’s Degree in Educational Technology from Stony Brook University and studied Library Science at Southern Connecticut State University. She was named Tech Teacher of the Year two times and is an advocate for the authentic use of technology in education, but this also has nothing to do with why Peggy is “That Teacher” students will remember. 
  
Peggy is “That Teacher” kids will remember because she is a teacher that asks, “Why?” when...