The tools

When you are at NECC, sometimes you miss things that happen, and only catch them in passing from the comments of others. Comments about some tweets seem to be making the rounds and focus on the idea that this NECC just doesn’t have any new cool tools coming out of it. Since I’ve been participating in NECC, I haven’t been keeping up with the twitter blow by blow, so I will just state now, I have no idea what was said, or who said it. Frankly, I don’t really care (but you’re welcome to drop a link in the comments to elucidate matters for me if you choose). What’s been interesting is the conversations that have sprung up around this idea. One person pointed out that there was less “new” stuff, but also with twitter, we’re finding about stuff faster than we ever have.  Another suggested that  that really wasn’t the point, we need to learn how to use what we have better. I think that we are moving towards a period of “consolidation. We have a plethora of tools. Some tools are better than others, but really, when you get down to it, some uses are better than others, and we all should be figuring out better ways to use what we have. If you aren’t, then you’re just a technista, following the latest “trend” but sadly limiting your focus to the superficial.

My goal at conferences now is to attend sessions that show HOW to use these tools for learning, with a learning objective, standard, what have you. Anything else is a waste of time. To paraphrase Dan Meyer, if I can google how to use the tool, don’t waste my time showing me how it works, show me how you (I can) use it. These sessions are aimed at folks with at least a moderate proficiency with technology, BUT even if they are new to technology they want to know why in the heck they should be using it. You can’t get that from a session on how to create a movie in Movie Maker/iMovie. They need to see the project, and why it’s relevant. Save the how-to for programs/tools for your local/district trainings, and as my aunt would say, let’s get the conversation on a higher plane.
Photo credit: Props for Donelle on flickr photosharing

The people

Other rumors abound about how some edubloggers were standoffish, and not friendly. Ed Tech conferences seem to be a funny thing. They are sometimes more like a Star Trek Convention than a professional organization meeting. The wonderful social networking we do leads many of us to build relationships with others we’ve never met face-to-face. Then we go to NECC, and we meet them in person. Maybe we’ve had a strong back and forth online. Maybe we’ve only read their blog and “feel like we know them” based on that. Sometimes we hit it off like gangbusters, other times it’s like the worst blind date of your life. You really never know what it will be like face-to-face. Are some big-name edubloggers standoffish? Shhhh, I’ll let you in on a secret (based on very limited observations), they’re just like you and me. What do I mean by that? Some of them are very nice, and very genuine. Some of them are funny and interesting. Some of them are unexpectedly shy. Some of them are, well, jerks. I’ve run across famous bloggers like this, and not so famous bloggers like this. You might have run into me, and I could fit into any one of those categories depending on when you ran into me.  I’ve been very unimpressed with some folks I’ve met. I don’t blog about that too much because I’ve been more impressed with many others. What would you rather read about? I know what I’d rather write about, and it’s not a gossip column about who is cool, and who’s not.

Both this year and last I ended up tagging along with a group and wound up at dinners with folks I hadn’t met before face-to-face and had a great time, and some great conversations. Last year, the outing included some folks that many might recognize. This year, had lesser known folks, and some who are not even blogging at all. I enjoyed both and had some really excellent conversations. Both were nerve wracking for me (what impression am I making, am I being friendly enough, am I being too outgoing and loud?), but mostly I found someone to talk to, and had some great conversations. I don’t think one was more “valuable” because of the technorati rating of the company. In fact, there were advantages to talking to folks who are still teaching students because we have that shared context.

I can be pushy so I will go up to folks and say, hey, what you said sounds nice, but I’m trying to figure out how to make it work in my context. Sometimes folks help me, sometimes folks tell me they’re busy, sometimes folks say, “I’m tired, can I get back to you”. I don’t take it too personally. By the end of the day everyday at NECC, I was so overwhelmed by all the people I was meeting and the sleep I was missing, I could barely make eye contact. If some folks couldn’t do the same with me, maybe is not about being snooty, but more about jet lag?

On the other hand, a lot of the more well known edubloggers are not in the classroom. They are doing consulting and speaking in place of that or in addition to their educating duties. As I’ve said, not all are as charming as others (most I have to say, are). This is their chance to “sell” themselves to folks like myself, who may recommend their services to our districts. This is the one part of ed tech conferences that I attend have in common with the professional conferences my husband attends. If you are trying to have a conversation with someone who offers speaking/pd services and they are not open to listening to you, this is a mistake on their part. If you just want to jawbone them, it may still be a mistake on their part. They may be tired, or cranky, but this is part of their job to “charm” potential clients. If they are being stand-offish, they are only hurting themselves. You also have to ask yourself, should you be hiring a “big” speaker, and putting a large chunk of your PD eggs in one basket? Only you can figure that out, only you can tell if their personality indicates they will not give you and your school/district the service you deserve, and last whether their content will take you where you want to go. In that sense, the “commoners” are really in the driver’s seat. Do not forget that.

May I also suggest that EdubloggerCon is a much better place to meet up with folks? It’s smaller, the sessions more intimate (but large enough for a good back and forth). There is a leveling of hierarchy there that can’t be replicated once 18,000 of us are all there. In addition, it is at the start of the conference, so everyone is not dog-tired, and hasn’t been talked to death yet. I understand the struggle because it means more nights at a hotel ($$$), but it’s free and the experience is priceless.

• My ISTE Connects post on Expanding Your Network
• My ISTE Connects post We Are All Individuals!

The Vendors and Exhibit Floor

I generally avoid spending much time on the exhibit floor. In general, I find it too much, and don’t like to interact with vendors that way. There is an obvious plus to this. I missed “Elvis” and the pink Cadillac. Many others discussed how they enjoyed “vendors” like CommonCraft and Voice Thread, who eschewed the exhibit hall, and mingled instead. I missed the carnival, but there is a downside to this…
I didn’t manage to meet up with VoiceThread folks, which I really wanted to do since I use it a lot and have had my work recognized by inclusion in their library. Also, I do trainings on VoiceThread, and compared to other “tools” I feature in trainings, I do not have a good contact with VoiceThread. When vendors are in the “hall” you know where to find them. When they are wandering, it can be harder. This is why I did go down briefly at towards the end of the conference so I could touch base with folks I wanted to make contact with (GenYes, edutopia). Also, among the pink Cadillacs, there are many smaller booths with interesting things. ASCD was there. Since they had offered me a bloggers press pass to their annual conference–which I couldn’t do :-(–I wanted to stop by and thank them. I hadn’t realized they were there until I walked by the booth. The real find was an online program teacher ed program with a class I needed that was one-third the cost of what it was at U of Phoenix. I don’t know if I can find a justification for Elvis selling printers, but even at the biggest of displays for IWBs (and remember InterWrite and Mimeo are alternatives there), they have real-life teachers showing what they do. Ask to see their stuff. If you think it’s too canned, tell them, they can use that feedback. The point I made earlier about people, and you being in the driver’s seat is echoed by Lee Kolbert about vendors and the exhibit hall,
The vendor hall is not just a place where vultures are dying to scan you. We can and should use the hall to OUR advantage!

Links on Vendors (add your own in comments if you have one):

• Dangerously Irrelevant: NECC – Vendor excess (aka Do pink Cadillacs really sell printers?)

• A GeekyMomma’s Blog: Whose Conference is it Anyway?

• Hybrid Schoolhouse: NECC 2009: Large and In Charge…

The Edublogs Live! session I am doing on VoiceThread: A 21st Century K-W-L has been changed from Thursday 6/18 to Friday 6/19 at 7 p.m. PDT. Hope to see you then!

This line comes from the values statement at my congregation, and it got me thinking about whether I was really living up to that goal. This post is the result of some of that reflection and will included references to my religion in a way that I hope is not annoying or offensive.  As they say, your mileage may vary.

It started with a tweet that contained this observation:

RT @pepepacha: Many teacher blogs are rants against stdt behaviors or families or systems. Let’s veer towards the positive & self reflective

Which you can see, I thought enough about to do a Re-tweet. This is what I was thinking when I did that. While I’m happy to blog against the system, I do like to offer at least a sliver of a solution, but what I really don’t like is wenching about students and parents on my blog, and don’t read blogs that make a regular practice of doing that. But really, am I that perfect? Isn’t that a little holier-than-thou? Are you that perfect? I know I’m not. I probably even have a few snide comments buried in blog posts or comments out there. Which brings me to Sunday.

We value the goodness in every person…
…even when it may not be apparent

The minister decided to do a play with the statement to “elaborate” on its meaning, adding that second line and boy did that one hit home.  I’m not perfect, I have feet of clay. In general, I don’t complain about families and kids on this blog. My focus is on improving myself, and improving the system of education, complaining about my students will not make that happen. I’m sure you can find some instances where I’ve done that in this blog, but it’s not the bread and butter of what I write about. However, in the lunchroom, and between parent meetings, I have made pointed comments about students and families. I can be petty. Here’s an example of a recent IM chat with Larry Ferlazzo:

ME: What is it with mom’s coming in with decolletage down to there?
Larry: I don’t know? (or some vague response)
ME: Maybe it was her only good outfit? Although I’d rather see ratty sweats. But ya know, she was very concerned about son, and asking for help, etc.

Okay, let’s look at that, I was MORE worried about how much skin this mother was showing, and ignored that she showed up to the meeting, was asking for help, and was willing to help us to the best of her abilities. Talk about focusing on the petty and unimportant. Truly, it was a small moment for me. I was not paying attention to what was apparent. What about with families when their “goodness” is not apparent?

On the other hand, when I’m talking to co-workers they have a context about the families, and me. Also, some of this is probably a healthy response to frustration, and it’s not like that is all I do, or the end of my involvement in the situation. I need to make sure that my frustration is not getting in the way of doing what needs to be done.

Another minister has introduced this meditation practice at our congregation, that can be well suited to my attention challenged mind that has some application here. The idea with meditation is to clear the mind, and he advises that when an errant thought enters (“hey, what’s that fly doing?”, “wonder if I turned on the dishwasher?”) rather than quashing it, you allow it to be there in your mind, and just let it wear out its welcome, and leave of it’s own accord. You don’t try to prevent those unwanted thoughts from coming in, but instead given them time to find their way back out. I was doing that in a way with that IM conversation, it started out with my rather petty observation, but then my thoughts returned to what really mattered, how much that mother cared.

So my goals will be to focus on the kids, and the families, and to look for the goodness in all of them. If my thoughts are less than generous, to make sure that’s not my focus, and give myself, and my families, the time we all need to do the right thing.

It started with a “tweet” from Deven Black, where he lamented about a student placement. I convinced him to blog about it for the upcoming ESL/EFL/ELL Carnival. Here’s the story in Vice Versa « Education On The Plate:

When she arrived from Ecuador two years ago, Juanita, who barely spoke ten words of English, was placed in a special education class. Today she is a sixth grader who speaks English well but she is still in a special education class. Her teacher and I are wondering why.

Juanita is a real person, though that is not her real name. She is charming, funny, friendly and hard working. Aside from the remnants of her accent she seems like any number of other girls in our inner city middle school. Juanita smiles easily, tells a good joke and occasionally gets a little cranky. Her classwork and grades are not spectacular, but they are not terrible either. They are on the level of a middling general education student.

A month after he came to the US with his parents Robert was enrolled in kindergarten in a multi-ethnic, mixed income suburban district. This district has a policy that all students born outside the US must be placed in ELL classes, no exceptions.

Blanket policies are rarely a good idea, even if that policy would have helped Juanita. Here’s why.
Robert was born in South Africa to British parents. English is not only his native language, it is his only language. He speaks it with better enunciation and grammar than the school aid who insisted she had to enroll him in the ELL class.

I wanted him to share because I’ve had the opposite situation come up where students who are ELLs are not tested for Special Education services because we want to give them time, but what happens when you wait too long, which I shared in a comment at Education – Change.org: Arne Duncan to 8-Year-Old Woodrow Wilson: “No College for You”:

Clay, I’m usually with you on this, but I’m sorry, when my students end up coming out of second and third grade not reading, they’re screwed. We have a sixth grader like this, cannot read, and is working on decoding at age 12. He should have been identified LONG ago for services. He may go to college one day, but it’ll be a minor miracle if he does.

What’s all that other stuff about where I’m disagreeing with Clay? Well, actually when you get down to it, I wasn’t. Clay was discussing how Arne Duncan had said there was no chance for a kid who can’t read at 8 years old going to college, to which Clay pointed out President Woodrow Wilson (and a President of Princeton) did not learn to read until he was 12 years old. But, at the heart of Clay’s post (and the really good comments there) and what Deven says clearly is that you really can’t use the same yard stick to measure all kids and blanket policies that do NOT treat our kids as individuals will fail them in the end.

My proposal would be that you use what data you have (which will include both summative testing, and observation) to help these kids, but ask questions, and try to get quality data (not like testing a student new to the country in English as happened to Juanita). I have found EL students muddling along through school at the two lowest proficiency levels (we have five in California with the top two being passing) on state testing. Sometimes the adults in charge take a look at the kid and just say, well that’s because he is learning English, just give him time. While it is true that not all kids learn at the same speed, sometimes that is a sign that more is needed and it doesn’t take much to figure out if you have a problem that needs to be addressed.

Sitting on our school’s student study team (the team tasked with looking at individual students who are struggling), the test scores can tell us a bit, but it’s the questions we ask each other about the individual child that tell us more. If an ELL child has low test scores, the next thing to look at is to look at their CELDT scores (a test of English acquisition that all California students take to see how they are progressing). If they start out behind on the standards test, they could be progressing in knowledge, but it won’t show because they are still behind grade level. The CELDT tells us some more about how they are doing on things like listening and speaking in English. The test stays the same for a 2-3 years, so a flatline score is a sign that something is not going right. Ask yourself, are they getting English Language services that are addressing their specific deficit, or are they learning something they have already mastered.

But, it’s the subtle questions that can really point to a problem. California’s default model for ELLs is to put them in a Sheltered English program. Parents are asked once a year what how they would like their children to be educated, in a bilingual or sheltered program. Most opt for sheltered. This means that we are not doing assessment in the child’s home language if they’ve been in the country for more than a year or so. One of the most important questions to ask a parent when we have a student who is not progressing both in academic testing and in English acquisition is  are they maintaining or losing their knowledge of their home language. If they aren’t learning English, and they are losing their home language, they are, overall, losing language. This is not a good thing. Do the kids have signs of attention problems like a wandering focus? Do they have an inability to retain information after it is taught to them? Is this true in BOTH English and their home language? If you are answering yes to these questions, they could have a processing disorder, and should be tested. If they are in primary, and they have few home language skills along with below age-level English, that can be a sign of a language disorder (like PDD-NOS or Austism Spectrum Disorder). ASD is really hard to spot in Language Learners, but it happens.

I think all these cases teach us the danger of making assumptions where we either ignore data, over-rely on data, or look at the wrong data, instead of looking at the total picture, and the total child.

But I’ve gotten behind on work, and have a couple of new projects I need to work on for the students, and I may not have writing time until next weekend. I will be reposting Part III of my series on stereotype bias and the perversion of incentive. Some of the links got messed up at some point along the way while I was composing/editing and given what I was contending, I wanted to make sure that I had the citations. Sorry!