28 de mayo

#2 - Twitter Profile

I believe one of the biggest mistakes new users make is not taking the time to fully complete their profile. George Couros (one of the biggest #EduTwitter names out there) told us that he will NOT follow back anyone that is not an educator. So the first thing on your Twitter profile should be that you are an educator. It’s important to state in your profile what you are hoping to get out of your Twitter account. For example, if you are interested in games in education, flexible spaces, standards-based grading...write that in your profile! Check out these amazing educator profiles for ideas: Scott Nunes, Phillip Pulley, Dani Patterson, Hope Elliott and Andrew Arevalo.

#3 - Follow Me!

Just kidding...but no really….follow me or others who are willing to follow you back and build a community. It may seem like a shameless plug for my account and it kind of is...but I will follow you back and I’m more than happy to connect you to other educators who will also follow you. I disagree with those that state that it doesn’t matter if others are following you on Twitter. I could never be friends with somebody who only talked about themselves and never even wanted to know anything about me. That’s the way I feel about those who don’t follow back. If you are going to use Twitter, it’s important to feel connected and I am more than happy to help you out in the journey!

#4 - Twitter Chats

One of the easiest ways to start connecting with others that have the same passions as you, have great discussions on things that matter, and feel like you are part of a community is to join a Twitter chat. There are thousands of education based chats each week. It’s cool to just read (we call it “lurking” on Twitter) but I find that joining in, introducing yourself, and stating that you are new to the chat is always received with fantastic enthusiasm. If you don’t know the answer to one of the questions...don’t answer it or state that you would like to learn more about this. If your schedule doesn’t allow for you to sit in front of a computer for 30+ minutes in the evening you can actually schedule your Tweets or a join a Slow Chat like #ChatOnEducation. A slow chat basically lets you join in anytime to respond to the questions. There is WAY less pressure and I believe it’s a fantastic way to get started with Twitter Chats. Pro Tips: remember to always use the hashtag symbol followed by the name of the Twitter chat # on all of your Tweets so that they appear on threads for example #SchoologyChat #games4ed #xplap. When you are responding to a question on a chat you should start the tweet by stating which question you are answering. For example, if I’m answering Question #1 I start my tweet with A1: (then my response) then end it with #(name of the chat)

#5 - Follow Back

This is probably one of the most controversial tips! Not everyone will agree with me on this one, but if another educator follows me I immediately follow them back. I believe we should all do this. It’s a great way to quickly build communities and I think it eliminates cliques. Pro Tip: If you find that someone doesn’t align with your interests or your purpose for being on Twitter please feel free to unfollow! I unfollow users who are distasteful, inappropriate or who I feel are harassing me or others.

#6 - Stop Using Twitter.com

You have to sign up on twitter.com but after that, I wouldn’t actually use that website except to update your profile information, see your Twitter analytics or change your password. I highly recommend connecting your Twitter account to Tweetdeck. Twitter can be very overwhelming after you have a few hundred accounts you are following. I currently follow over eight thousand accounts and if you look at my Twitter.com feed it just cycles through thousands of tweets every minute. Tweetdeck allows you to follow specific #hashtags and even other users. For example, my current columns in Tweetdeck are #games4ed #SchoologyChat #ChatOnEducation #edchat #edtechchat and I follow some specific people including Kory Graham (who you should follow right now). If you want to learn more about how to create lists for your Tweetdeck and better manage your Twitter accounts check out this video by Stephen Rao.

Pro Tip: If you are interested in seeing detailed account analytics check out the Social Blade website, toggle the menu in the top right-hand corner from Youtube to Twitter and type in your Twitter account handle.

#7 - Liking and ReTweeting

Controversial topic #2 on this post. I don’t believe that liking or ReTweeting (RT) a tweet necessarily means that you actually “like” what the tweet is saying. I use Twitter differently than Facebook or Instagram...I will sometimes like a tweet to acknowledge to the other person that I read their tweet and that I am engaged in the dialogue. I don’t believe that there are #EduTwitter rules regarding likes and RT and you should do what you want and don’t let others tell you otherwise!

#8 - Tag Photos

Controversial topic #3 on this post. So there is an ability to tag up to 10 other users on a photo or image. Before you tag anyone on images, be sure that they are cool with you doing so. Sometimes your tweet will “blow up” and we are all super happy for you if that happens….but remember that anyone tagged in the tweet or the image will continue to receive notifications on likes, Retweets, and responses to the original and corresponding threads of tweets. I love being tagged on photos but others may not feel the same.

#9 - Offer Value

I think it’s important to create a reason to be followed. In the beginning, you may not know what that reason is yet, but as you continue to grow your community and followers be sure to SHARE!! For example, I make Youtube tutorials for other teachers, share my Spanish lessons plans for free and co-host a podcast for educators.

#10 - Don’t take it too seriously!

This is mostly advice for myself! It can be very easy to get irked and riled up by Twitter posts or responses to your posts by others. My advice...It’s not worth it. Don’t engage. You even have some tools at your disposal on Twitter including Muting the other person or Blocking them. It’s your account, do what you feel is necessary.

It’s not hyperbole for me to say that Twitter has completely changed my career. I’ve made friendships and professional connections that I am sure will last a lifetime. I hope that this list will help you on your EduTwitter journey. If I missed any tips that I should add to this list...let me know on Twitter!!

21 de mayo

Make a Wish...Then Make it Happen

Like many others of my generation, I really loved playing the original Super Mario Bros. My in-laws recently purchased an original Nintendo for my youngest son’s 7th birthday and he absolutely loves Mario. The one thing he can’t understand is why he can’t save his progress in the game. He gets up to level 7-4 and can’t believe that when he runs out of lives the game is actually over and he has to start back at level 1-1. I’ve tried to explain to him that these games don’t have a memory card, a way of saving, a way of remembering.

13 de mayo

The Cure for Senioritis

4 de septiembre

How to Implement Student Choice...without going Crazy!

One of my favorite genres of books growing up were "choose your own adventure." I didn't have to depend on the author to deliver just one perfect ending. Having the ability to choose my own path was empowering. That is why I'm such a strong believer (fanatic) of student voice and choice.

I have students choose the assignments (missions or quests) that they find interesting, fun, and suited to their skills. Students can also create their own assignments (voice) as long as they are targeting the desired results determined by the outcomes of the specific unit or lesson. Dr. Chris Haskell calls this awesome approach to teaching “Quest-based Learning.” Quest-based learning focuses on an individualized and flexible curricular experience. Using this approach I either approve a quest because it meets all expectations or return the quest to the student for revisions and re-submission. Just like video games, quest-based learning supports multiple attempts without punishment to promote learning from mistakes.

As a teacher one of the most daunting aspects of quest-based learning is figuring out how to manage it without going crazy with the grading and feedback. The last few years I was using Schoology in a very traditional way. I created a series of assignments and formative assessments. Students could choose which assignments they wanted to complete as long as they were meeting a minimum number of points. I created folders that had many, many assignments. My students worked on those assignments and submitted them for feedback. That's when they craziness began....have you ever had 566 ungraded assignment submissions just staring back at you? So...I went crazy for a few years trying to figure out a better system to manage quest-based learning within Schoology.

So my solution came gradually after attending a Google Drawing session offered by Jocelynn Buckentin (she is SO awesome) at TIES who was demonstrating the idea of using Google Slides and Google Drawing to create hyperdocs. I was immediately hooked and started working on my own hyperdocs for each one of my learning units. I wanted to make sure to offer choice but also require students to complete tasks that were critical in achieving our outcomes. I want the hyperdocs to feel more like a mission map then a list of assignments. I start each Mission with a Youtube video that explains the goals and can-do goals that we will achieve. I embed "key" assignments that are mandatory and have to be completed. Each picture below is linked to a google doc that further explains the directions of completing the "caso" (case). Students submit the assignments to ONE Schoology assignment. They resubmit each case they choose to the same assignment. When a student completes the minimum XP for that specific mission they complete a self-evaluation form and this lets me know that they are ready for me to evaluate their work. Of course I can't help myself and I'm constantly checking into submitted assignments and giving feedback throughout, but there isn't the 500+ assignments looming! This is probably one of the best starts I've had to ANY school year and one of the reasons why are these awesome mission maps. Let me know if you have questions, want to collaborate or want to learn more! Hasta pronto amigos!

9 de junio

Creating a Successful Gamification Framework with Schoology

Creating a Successful Gamification Framework with Schoology

By Glen Irvin

Gamification, when applied effectively, is just great teaching. It includes outcomes, student voice and choice, mastery learning, differentiation and of course it is engaging and fun. I’ve created ten gamification tips for creating a successful framework that I will be sharing at my presentation at SchoologyNEXT in Chicago. I will also be sharing how I use many of the tools available in Schoology to make this manageable and successful. Finally I will be sharing how I use game-based learning and tools like Minecraft to make my classroom a playful learning environment. Here are some of the tips I will be sharing at my SchoologyNEXT presentation:

Gamification Tip #1 - Start with Outcomes

Successful gamification starts with backward design. As a teacher you need to identify your desired results, determine acceptable evidence of those results and plan meaningful learning experiences and instruction that will yield those results. Outcomes are not just for teachers, you have to let your students know what you expect them to be able to do or know in order to succeed. I believe it needs to be the first thing you discuss at the beginning of each unit or level.

Gamification Tip #2 - Student Voice & Choice

Successful classroom gamification must have student voice and choice embedded. For me this means allowing students to create their own meaningful learning activities. In my courses I actually have achievements related to students successfully creating a new quest (learning activity).

Gamification Tip #3 - Plan Ahead

A critical component to gamification is planning ahead. As a teacher your focus and time in and out of class needs to be on giving timely feedback. As students complete quests or boss battles you must be ready and available to give feedback on their progress.

Gamification Tip #4 - Quest-Based Learning

There is a great sense of ownership when you get to choose what you want to do as a student. There is also much research in mastery learning that states that if given time and feedback students can achieve. Quest-based learning is the combination of these two successful teaching methods. Students need to be allowed the flexibility to move through the content at their own pace. Dr. Haskell states that it is important to offer a “multiplicity of choices that cover the standards” (Darvasi, 2015). I highly recommend Matthew Farber’s book “Gamify Your Classroom” where he states that in order for gamification to be effective the teacher must “allow student choice and use gamification mechanics around already meaningful activities, like in project-based learning units” (Farber, 2017)

Gamification Tip #5 - Badges/Achievements

Badges are a visual representation of a skill or achievement and they are an essential component to gamification. Use badges to celebrate student mastery of specific outcomes. I like to embed gameful clues within the badges that lead to “secret” quests or missions. This just helps to add to the playful aspect of gamification.

I’ve been captivated by Michael Matera’s book “Explore Like a Pirate” this year. In it he states that, “the power of play brings back the natural yearning that exists inside all of us to learn” (Matera, 2015). If you want to learn more about successfully implementing gamification and game-based learning please attend my session at SchoologyNEXT or connect with me on Twitter @irvspanish ! See you in Chicago!!

Resources

Darvasi, Paul. "Pursuing Quests: How Digital Games Can Create a Learning Journey."MindShift. N.p., 4 Dec. 2015. Web. 09 June 2017.

https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/12/04/pursuing-quests-how-digital-games-can-create-a-learning-journey/

Farber, Matthew. Gamify Your Classroom a Field Guide to Game-based Learning. New York: PETER LANG, 2017. Print.

https://www.amazon.com/Gamify-Your-Classroom-Game-Based-Epistemologies/dp/1433135027

Matera, Michael. Explore like a Pirate: Engage, Enrich, and Elevate Your Learners with Gamification and Game-inspired Course Design. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, 2015. Print.

https://www.amazon.com/Explore-Like-Pirate-Gamification-Game-Inspired/dp/0986155500/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=VRBJW4V5DM44QKCK8344

25 de mayo

Blended Learning Strategies

I am finishing up my 18th year of teaching. It’s been an awesome run but what I can definitively say is that I’ve grown the most in my profession in the last five years. Those first thirteen years weren’t horrible, but I was definitely not growing. This recent growth has resulted in me being able to better serve all of my students. One of the most impactful teaching strategies that I have implemented in the last five years is blended learning. My blended learning goal is that ALL of my students have an opportunity to connect personally with me and the content of my class. This connection gives the students insight into why I’m so passionate about the Spanish language which I believe helps them to get fired up about acquiring this awesome skill.

Offering choice in assignments and projects that give students the opportunity to highlight their specific skill sets as well as having the students work in a various collaborative settings are blended learning strategies that I believe are a key to success. I am able to do this in Schoology through quest-based learning and gamification. Students choose the quests (assignments) they want to complete within a level (specific outcome). Each quest has a varying number of XP (points) depending on the difficulty and time needed to complete the quest. For example a 100 XP quest will take much less time than than one that is 1000 XP. Each level requires that they successfully earn the minimum XP needed in order to test their skills in the Boss Battles. Just like in a game they can redo any quest. The students may be asked to redo quests if they are not completed correctly or at a high level. Boss battles are the Tests/Exams of each unit. There are several Boss Battle types in the areas of speaking, comprehension, writing, reading and culture, centered around specific outcomes. Students know EXACTLY what is required to defeat the boss. This is done through presenting “I Can” ACTFL statements at the beginning of each level. Here is an example:

Like any good game students start out with no points (we call it XP) and no experience (we call these levels). You must complete all the required levels successfully and earn a minimum of 50,000 XP during each quarter in order to win the game (get an “A”) Unlike other courses the student learning doesn’t have to stop once they get to 50,000 XP as they are allowed to continue learning by opening up more than the “required” levels and earning more than 50,000 XP. A student in my Spanish 1 class can complete both Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 in one year if they choose and be able to take a College in the Schools course for 8 credit hours the following year.

My class is truly blended. We don’t just work on quests during class, in fact everyday there is a component of class that involves speaking and interacting in the Spanish language. I call this part of class “Hablamos” (let’s talk). Here is what I tell the students and parents: We speak Spanish everyday in class. We sing in Spanish. We listen to Spanish and we read in Spanish. We will learn about and discuss the culture of Spanish speakers. If you are enrolled in this class you will speak Spanish everyday: as a class, in groups, with partners and as an individual.

The key to a blended classroom is giving the students the opportunity to connect with you and the content that you are presenting. This in my opinion is done through choice. Even if you decided not to use gamification, give your students various ways of demonstrating their proficiency and let students move through the content at their own pace. It’s important to let students know EXACTLY what you expect them to be able to do. Finally, blended doesn’t mean online. Take the opportunity each day to interact together as a class in a variety of fun, meaningful activities.