Using the Right Tools

In Go find a ladder from Seth Godin's Blog , Seth Godin talks about finding useful tools and states,

“Perhaps, instead of restating our audacious goals, we can spend more time finding useful tools–insights, skills, trust, attention, access–instead.”

Every new knitter does not want to invest in too much money on a hobby that they are not sure they want to get into so they may choose to buy the cheapest tools and supplies. When I’m knitting, I want to use my best needles and the best yarn. I have found if I don’t use quality needles, they may break, or they may be hard to work with. The same goes for using cheap yarn. Using the cheapest yarn may make me so frustrated that I hate the project I’m working on. I tell new knitters to buy medium priced stuff.

I remember when I first started hiking and camping, I didn’t want to invest a lot into good hiking boots, clothing or camping equipment. Having the wrong boots made my feet hurt and I didn’t enjoy hiking. Having the cheapest tent meant that in heavy rain, it leaked and I couldn’t wait to leave. Once I bought good boots, I loved hiking. With the right camping equipment, camping was lots of fun!

Mechanics can’t work on cars if they don’t have the right tools. Plumbers can’t repair pipes without the tools they need. What kind of construction worker would show up to work without a hammer?

The same applies to learning in the classroom.

Of course, the student needs to bring the right supplies from home like pencils and paper but it is smart to have some extras on hand.

I also need to make sure that I have the right tools to make the lesson I teach enjoyable. If I use the wrong tools, it will only make learning a miserable experience.

I like to plan ahead and gather my materials and supplies ahead of time so I know I will have everything I need.

I review the lesson and may even ask someone else to look it over to see if I’ve forgotten anything.

I might mention my lesson to others to see if anyone else has any fun or useful suggestions.

It is important that I never try to wing it when teaching. It is important to be prepared and to teach my students to be prepared.

What other tools do you think are important for the classroom? Please share.

Photo by Barn Images on Unsplash

My Favorite Tools

In Tools of the Trade from Sioux's Page, Sioux asks,

“What are some of your favorite tools? Do you have a computer program that helps you as you masterpiece up your manuscript? Where do you weigh in when it comes to pens?”

My favorite tools are my laptop and my phone. I think if my house were on fire, next to my purse, my laptop would be the next thing I grab. When we go traveling, my laptop is always with me. I’ve taken it camping and I’ve taken it on cruises.

When writing, I use Microsoft Word because I’ve used it for years and I’m comfortable with it. Even though I now have a MacBook Pro, I have installed Word on it. Of course if I didn’t already have a subscription for the program, I would probably try Pages since it comes with my laptop but I feel why invent the wheel if I don’t have to. When I write letters or reply to emails, I usually compose it in Word before I copy and paste it into the final copy. It is easier for me to edit, refine, check grammar and spelling and revise it without worrying about accidentally sending it by the slip of a click.

I am trying to wean myself off the use of pen and paper unless I absolutely have to. I used to always write up my grocery list on an excel spreadsheet (along with the aisles of the store where I can find the items) and then print it out. When I get to the store, I would mark them off as I put the item in the cart. Now I email the list to myself and open it on my phone at the store. I don’t mark it off because I go aisle-by-aisle getting things so it doesn’t matter. If I can’t find something, I use the voice recorder on my phone to take note of what to put on my list for next time.  I’m also using the voice recorder for small reminders instead of writing notes to myself. This is great when I get inspired for a blog post and I don’t want to forget about it.

So readers, what are your favorite tools? Please share.

Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 3/22/13

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels: E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

Problem Attic - “Get instant access to 30 years’ of well-respected, proven questions for Math, Science, Social Studies and English.” (L:H ; SA: A)

Grand Canyon - “panoramic imagery of one of the world’s most spectacular national monuments: the Grand Canyon. These beautiful, interactive images cover more than 75 miles of trails and surrounding roads, making our map of this area even more comprehensive, accurate and easy to use than ever before.” (L:G ; SA: A)

World Tax Comparisons - infographic (L:H ; SA: SS)

Hero’s Journey - “The hero's journey is an ancient story pattern that can be found in texts from thousands of years ago or in newly released Hollywood blockbusters. This interactive tool will provide students with background on the hero's journey and give them a chance to explore several of the journey's key elements. Students can use the tool to record examples from a hero's journey they have read or viewed or to plan out a hero's journey of their own.” (L:H ; SA: LA)

The Science Behind Wheeled Sports - “This unit focuses on cycling and wheelchair racing: what we might collectively call 'wheeled sports'. The Scientific concepts such as force, acceleration and speed are also useful for understanding these sports.” (L:H ; SA: S)

Original Image: Tools by Pat Hensley

Using Available Tools

In She Isn’t Using Technology —from Tech Thoughts By Jen, Jennifer tells about a teacher at her school.

“She is a good teacher — NOT because she uses technology — but because she uses her resources.  Any and all — to make her classroom a great place to be!”

When I talk to some teachers, they are quick to let me know that they aren’t “into technology.” I am always amazed at how defensive they become when I mention some resources that I found online. I love to find resources and ideas online but I also get ideas from other places too. Sometimes I do more research online to find out a more detailed explanation about a new idea.

Teachers don’t have to “use technology” to be a great teacher. But I believe that teachers do need to know about resources that are available to be more effective. One of the resources is using technology. My students use technology and if they feel I am so out of touch with technology, I believe that they will think everything I am trying to teach them is obsolete too. I’m not saying that I need to know everything about technology, because I have learned a lot from my students. I don’t want to say I’m not “into technology” which can be interpreted to mean I really don’t care to learn about it. What if our students said the same thing about my teaching?

I have used technology to find other resources to help me in the classroom. Connecting with others, I have found a Skype Author network where authors can “come” into the classroom and talk to students. By searching the web, I have found great lessons to use in the classroom. When I want to do something and want to learn, I have watched YouTube videos to learn how to do this. When I needed an answer to a question, I have posted it on Twitter and Plurk and received lots of help from others, almost immediately.

I don’t feel that I necessarily need to use technology in the classroom to be more effective. But I feel I need to know how to find information and connect with others by using technology. I feel it is an important part of my personal and professional development. It is necessary for me to grow as a person and a professional. I feel it is important for me to get “into technology” to find out the resources that are available out there for me to be a better teacher.

Image: 'Clever Wall Mural in Yellow Springs, Ohio'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22834654@N04/2499663609

A Visit with Wolfram Alpha

The other day I had a wonderful phone conversation with Mike Looney (VP Vertical Markets) of WolframAlpha. Here is the bio that I was given before the phone call:

“Michael Looney started his career in education as an inner city school teacher for the National Teacher Corps in Portland, Oregon in 1969.  After earning degrees in Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Non-Profit Marketing and working in a variety of public sector roles for schools and universities, Michael joined Apple Computer as their first education account manager in Upstate New York.  This ultimately led to a 27 year career in high tech education sales, marketing and general management.  He led and grew the education businesses for Apple, Claris, and Adobe as well as much smaller Silicon Valley start-ups.  His achievements have been measured both in profitability for these companies as well as value-added curriculum and tools for students and teachers alike.

His primary focus is on the integration of the Wolfram|Alpha fact engine into education settings, and the application of computational interactivity through mobile apps, websites, eTexts, and eCurriculum.”

I was really excited our phone conversation and Mike showed me a lot of neat ways to use this tool that I want to share with you. He was able to show me many of examples that would be valuable to students.

You can see examples by topic at http://www.wolframalpha.com/examples/

When Mike put my name in, it showed that Patricia ranked 541 and that 552 people per year are named Patricia.

On the side of the examples page are things that you can try which I did and enjoyed seeing the results. You can enter a date, a city, a math calculation or a formula and see the results. What a great reference tool this can be for our students!

Mike also put “International Space Station” in and the results showed the orbit of the space station.

I really liked the math topics. He showed me how in Calculus, it shows the steps of how a problem was solved. This could help so many people who are trying to figure out the solution but don’t know how to arrive at the answer. Last year I had a friend whose daughter had trouble with a math problem and so I contacted a math teacher/friend who wrote out the solution for me so that I could pass this on to the daughter. Obviously that took a lot of time which the daughter really didn’t have. This would have been a great tool for her to use. If you have time, go to the Example by Topics page, Click on Calculus under the Math topic. Choose one of the examples under “Integrals” by clicking on the “equal” sign. Then in the right hand corner in red, click on “Show Steps” and see how this problem was solved. I think this would be a great self check tool for understanding. Students could find out what step was causing them the problem. Whether you teach in the classroom or home school your own children, this tool could be very useful to all students. Eventually they hope to do this same process with algebra. I can’t wait until that occurs.

You can also add this to your Iphone, Ipad, and Ipod Touch.

There is also an educator’s page: http://www.wolframalpha.com/educators/. There are lots of suggestions on ways to use this in the classroom and Math, Science and Social Studies lesson plans for educators to use. You can use it for creative writing, geography, and algebra too.

Last night I couldn’t wait to share this information with my friends. I even asked Mike if I could share all this in my blog. I hope you take time to check out this free and wonderful tool. Even though it is educational, it is a lot of fun too.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 5/29/09

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Joey Green’s Mad Scientist Experiments – a variety of experiments using every day items

Mad Libs – a fun word game to play with students

Edible/Inedible Experiments Archive – “Try your hand at experimental science! Some experiments may be eaten before, during or after the experiment, and some should not be eaten at all! Each file lists an expected age-level to carry out the experiment, as well as safety precautions. Many of the experiments will require nothing more than a quick rummage through the kitchen cabinets.”

Think About History Game – fun trivia game about history, including video clips for clues

Stop Disasters – A disaster simulation game from the UN/ISDR (high school level)

Original image: 'My Swiss Army Knife' http://www.flickr.com/photos/80516279@N00/2274372747 by: Brian Herzog

Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 3/6/09

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Thinkfinity - “…lots of free educational resources for standards-based K-12 lesson plans, educational games, music clips and videos”

The Attention Movie – interesting video about ADD

Cramberry – “a new web application that uses flashcards to help people study for exams, learn a new language, remember important things like birthdays or names, and much more. Getting started with Cramberry is simple, and usually takes less than a minute.”

Museum Box – “This site provides the tools for you to build up an argument or description of an event, person or historical period by placing items in a virtual box.”

Abraham Lincoln: The Face of aWar – Lessons through the Smithsonian. “In the first lesson in this issue, students take a close look at Lincoln the man, as seen in two photographs, taken in 1860 and 1865, and in two plaster “life masks,” made in the same years. This exercise in portrait analysis leads to a study of events in the years between—years that changed Lincoln drastically—and might serve as an introduction to a unit on the Civil War. In the second lesson, students examine an eyewitness drawing of Lincoln’s arrival in the enemy capital of Richmond, Virginia, at the end of the war. As he moved among former slaves, Lincoln the person became freedom’s personification. Never before had an appearance by a president—the mere showing of his face—meant more to his audience.”

Original image: 'My Swiss Army Knife' http://www.flickr.com/photos/80516279@N00/2274372747 by: Brian Herzog

How Important is My Toolbelt?

In Toolbelt theory for everyone, Ira Socol states, “And everyone needs a properly equipped Toolbelt to get through life.” I think this was a perfect example of how everybody learns to cope with everyday life. That is what our schools are supposed to teach us. My teachers taught me the tools to add to my “toolbelt” so that I can be successful in life. I also needed to know how to find new tools if I needed them and how to learn how to use them once I got them. My learning didn’t end once I graduated from school and then decided that I’ve gotten all the tools I needed in life. Even as a teacher, I am constantly on the lookout for new tools and how they can make a difference in my life and others.

Recently, my husband and I did some repairs and painting on a rental house rather than paying someone else to do it. While we were working, sometimes I needed a ladder but when my husband worked on the same area, he didn’t need the ladder. We achieved the same goal but I used a different tool than he did. Neither one of us assumed that I was incapable of finishing the job because I needed the ladder. At different times while we were working, we used different tools but at the end of the week we were proud that we accomplished all that we had planned to do. Isn’t that the way learning should be in the classroom? I think Ira was right on target when he states, "Disability" has little or nothing to do with this. Everybody needs this skill set.” Giving students the ability to learn different tools for different situations should be taught to every student throughout their school career. During the local Council for Exceptional Children’s meeting, we talked about Universal Design for Learning. Karen Janowski was the guest speaker and shared with us the UDL Tech Toolkit. The question that kept coming up was why teachers didn’t do this in the classroom and how can we get them to do this? I’m not sure we ever came up with a good answer to this but we had a great discussion.

Ira also states “The only way to allow students to assemble this essential toolbelt for information and communication is to throw open your classroom and let the world in.” I think this applies to all of the filters out there used to protect our children. I believe the people in power are really trying to protect our children, no matter how misguided their intentions may be. I think it is very important to keep the lines of communication open with the people in order to show them how these tools can be more of an asset if allowed rather than a liability. At first they may be resistant but if I can show them examples of how I can use this tool and get others to use it and show their examples, it may help. I also think it is important to think of why people may be opposed to using this tool and have an answer ready for this before the discussion. I don’t think change will happen overnight but I can’t stop trying.

I also think that that Ira’s quote involves teachers trying new things. I need to be more open to new things and how they can apply to my lessons. Of course I think it is important to learn the new tools but I think it is most important to see how they can be used in the curriculum that I am teaching. I don’t want to have my students to use a tool just to use it. I want them to use a tool in a way that will help them create something new in the context of what I am teaching. Without this connection I think I am wasting my time. If I don’t see a purpose for learning something new, I will not waste my time learning it or I will put it aside and never use it again so I don’t want my students in the same position. I think as I see new tools I need to think about how I can use this in my classroom rather than how I want to learn just to use this. Once I see how it can be relevant, then I can focus my attention to the particulars of using the tool.

I feel this toolbelt theory is so important to being successful in life. This is important for all students of every level from elementary school through post secondary school. I will continue to add new tools to my toolbelt and get rid of the ones I no longer need. I will also make sure that these tools are relevant to my needs at this time. I know that my toolbelt can be changed often and changed according to what I need to do but it sure is comforting to know that I have different tools that I can put in my toolbelt if I need them.

Original image: 'Pegboard' http://www.flickr.com/photos/45789087@N00/2012923574