Remixing 1:1

A week ago I didn't even know what they were called. I had seen one or two before, but I had no idea how big they had become. In fact, many people now consider remixing, or taking an existing work and adding your own take on it, an art form. As I sat there last week discussing the power of a "remix" at the Beyond Laptops Conference at Yokohama International School (YIS), I thought, yeah, they're cool, but how can I use them in the classroom?  Little did I know that my own students had been making one for me for the past month.  

On Wednesday morning, our team of 100 students filed into the grouproom for a "surprise" group homebase.  It was my birthday, so I suspected that something was up.  Ryan and AJ got up and stood in front of the group and said,  "We made this video for Mr. Riley's birthday. We hope you enjoy it."  



I was floored.  It's amazing that they were able to gather all those students and teachers, record the exact phrases they needed, and use nothing but a smartphone and a flip camera.  But that's not the point. The point is these kids spent all that time, energy, and effort to create something totally unique for me.   And while I'm still trying to figure out why those boys picked "Back in Black" by AC/DC, I was truly touched because it was a gift from the heart. 

It got me thinking about what a 1:1 laptop program is really about. We're in the midst of implementing one right now in the Middle School.  The 7th grade roll out is complete, and there's much to celebrate.  Our tech team designed a thoughtful and thorough "boot camp," and core teachers led subject-related modules with their students.  Their collective work and experience will help guide the rest of the school's roll out in August.  

In teams and in classes, it seems that many of our conversations are about the device.  At this point, they should be.  After all, when there are hundreds of laptops around the school, we all need to have common expectations.  Not only that, as teachers, we need to think about how we can use them in the classroom.  

When we get caught up focusing on the device though, we forget that a 1:1 program has to do with so much more.  With my birthday video, for example, it wasn't about Ryan and AJ's phone or camera features.  It was about how they used them to connect with others and tell a story.  It was about how they used them to connect with me.  In the end, "1:1" isn't between an individual and a device, "1:1" is between one individual and another individual.  And when they connect, ideas are shared, and learning grows.

Just by chance, on the very same day, I "met" Jabiz Raisdana, a colleague at UWC via Twitter.  Here's his take on technology and 1:1 that he posted on his must-read blog, Intrepid Teacher:

Technology shouldn’t be a gimmicky lure we use to “engage” kids.  We use it when we can, when we must, when it makes sense. Otherwise we talk about writing. We write. We explore. Engagement is about passion and love for what we do. It is about getting on the floor and talking to kids about their ideas and giving them immediate feedback. 1-1 means that we try to spend time with each student discussing their work, not speaking at a class about what they all should be doing. No amount of technology will motivate kids, if the pedagogy and the content and the teachers love for the material is not there.

Ryan, AJ, and their friends were motivated to create their video not because of technology.  It was because of story, a way to tell it, and an audience to share it with.  With the remixed 1:1, we'll have many more opportunities to communicate through a wider range of formats with a much greater audience.  Here's how my students and I were motivated to communicate this week through 1:1:

Confessions of a Nincomtweet

• My students wrote introductory "cover letters" to their 21st century pen pals at YIS, inviting them to read their blogs.  They have since exchanged back and forth emails and commented on each others' blogs.
• I tweeted out a picture of them blogging along with a thanks to the tech coaches for connecting our classes. Hours later, I heard back from all of the coaches thanking us instead.
• Grade 8 teachers responded to a Google survey providing critical questions and inspiring ideas for our upcoming labsites.
• I continued building my virtual PLC on Twitter by following colleagues near and far.
• Grade 6 teachers started crafting a sample persuasive essay on why bottled water is all washed up on a shared Google doc.

Sure, with each of these interactions, there are devices involved and software to learn.  As we learn them, I'm sure we'll stumble along the way, or we may even end up learning them from our students.   That's okay, because when we do, we'll be connecting with others, sharing ideas, and learning every step of the way.

Designing a Complete Curriculum

The crowd hushed while the orchestra pit came to life this past Thursday at Radio City Music Hall.  In no time at all, actors and dancers hit the stage to perform their vignettes.  It seemed like another typical day in the life of this iconic theatre, but this time the song and dance wasn't the most recent interpretation of an old musical.  Instead it was the launch of Samsung's new answer to the iPhone, the Galaxy 4S.

It's odd that a company would go to such lengths to announce a product to the world, but why shouldn't it?  After all, it has designed something amazing worth celebrating.  Tired of swiping your smartphone with your finger?  Well now you can use your eye.

You're probably wondering how this is relevant to teaching RLA.  Here's the thing. We're so busy teaching and assessing academic, discipline-based standards, we're forgetting one key component that enables the people at Samsung or any other innovative company to work their magic.  Design.  

There are lots of reasons why we should add design standards to our curriculum and teach to them more directly in our classes.  Here are just a few:

"Design" and "Create" are at Level Four on the DOK

• There's a lot more to design than meets the eye.  Steve Jobs, one of the most famous designers of all time, said, "Design is a not just what it looks like and feels like.  Design is how it works." His definition isn't just limited to the IKEA desk or iPhone.  It applies to meaning and understanding as well.  When we teach design and offer our students to use it when expressing their ideas, their learning is much deeper as a result.

• To design is to create.  When we create, we think across disciplines and take all of the learning into consideration before we put paint to canvas.

• By engaging in design, we practice and enhance other essential skills.  According to Frank Nuovo, former Vice President and Chief of Design at Nokia, design is about solving problems and creating solutions.  Not only that, good designers don't work in isolation.  Relying on sound interpersonal skills, designers collaborate with others which leads them to even better ideas.  

Quiz:  Match the Font

• Design is more crucial now than ever before.  As Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, puts it, there has been a "democratization of design." What was once reserved only for the financial elite or the highly skilled, design tools are now readily used by a larger population.  Just take a look at laptops, digital SLRs, smartphones, and the growing list of software and applications that run them.  Still not convinced?  Try out the quiz that Pink put out to his readers.  He claims that twenty-five years ago only the experts would've been right.  Now, most of us are (scroll down for the answers). As a result, the marketplace is increasingly more competitive, and design elements have become a game changer.

• Design elements enable us to communicate in ways that go well beyond words alone.  Sure, as RLA teachers, we focus on words as our medium, but in today's world, we understand the power of images.  But there are additional elements in design tools that enhance communication such as color, fonts, music, and layout.   

Simply put, if we choose not to include design in our teaching, we're missing the boat.  And when we miss the boat, our students are stranded as well.  With that in mind, here are some possibilities for our classrooms:

• Teach a design mini-lesson:  Take a design element and see how it might fit as a teaching point for a mini-lesson.  For example, as a reading response students can use color and shapes instead of words to capture the mood of a chapter.  They may also sketch objects from the text to represent symbols. 

• Evaluate real world design samples:  Have students become design critics when viewing a youtube clip, a trailer, a visual ad, Blog themes,  etc.  Students can explain what works and what doesn't work in terms of design elements.

• Use design-based tools with fixed templates:  Many tools offer preset templates that include effective design elements such as iMovie trailers, Prezis, Blogs, Pic Collage, Glogster, Keynote, even Microsoft Word and Powerpoint.  When students select templates have them explain their choices based on how the design elements enhance the meaning they are trying to convey.

• Teach toward design-based extension projects:  When students complete a Literature Circle book, extend their learning with projects that require purposefully-chosen design elements.  It could be a bumper sticker, a commemorative stamp, a monument, a theme quilt patch, you name (click here for a list of great ones).  Again have students explain their choices in terms of design as well as literary analysis.

Before you get started though, I have to warn you.  Many of our students have lost their innate willingness to design.  Gordon MacKenzie, a former creative director at Hallmark Cards, tells of his countless school visits where he asks students, "How many artists are there in the room?"  The responses are nearly always the same.  The kindergartners all raise their hands while by sixth grade, not a single student raises his hand.  

Here's why.  To design means to risk, and along with risk comes failure.  Many students are more concerned with "getting it right" than "trying it out."  It's not entirely their fault.  That's the way we've taught them. 

So why don't we model it by taking a risk and trying out some of these design ideas in our classrooms?  Who knows, we may be surprised with what we and our students create.  Whatever it'll be, it'll certainly be cause for celebration.  In the meantime, I'll check for availability at Radio City Music Hall.

Answers to the quiz:  1. b, 2. c, 3. a

Teaching 21st Century "Genres"

"Just as we would rarely [teach] a unit or a lesson in any subject 

without incorporating some reading, we should also rarely do anything in school 

without incorporating technology—used powerfully and not trivially. 

If we do not do this, our kids will not be getting what they need from our education.”

--Marc Prensky

Blogs, tweets, text messages, status updates, Skype, Youtube, let's face it, people today are communicating in ways that were unimaginable only a few years ago. In fact, we'd be hard-pressed to find another time in human history when there was such an explosion of new communication tools, and it doesn't seem like it will let up any time soon.

While many experts refer to these as Web 2.0 or 21st century "tools," I like to think of them as 21st century "genres." Like the more traditional genres we know and love, these genres have specific features, characteristics and rules that authors know and use to make their ideas stand out. As teachers of reading and writing, we must consider teaching to these genres in our classrooms. After all, our students are far more likely to become avid authors in these genres than they are in the traditional ones. 

With a quick Google search, you can find tons of "tools" out there that can help jazz up an idea or message (just check out the magic 8 ball message or the "cool links" geogreeting and the ninja message below), but these aren't really genres. According to Merriam-Webster, a genre is a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content.


One genre that some of us are currently using with our students is the blog. With mini-lessons on commenting, adding videos and images, labeling posts, and ensuring that everything we publish passes through the POST Filter (Purpose, Offer new insight, Skillful writing, and The Core Values), we've added it to our Personal Essay unit in Grade 6.

With that model of teaching into a 21st century genre in mind, some of us recently sought out other genres that require students to apply effective conventions and communication techniques that emulate real-world 21st century genres. We didn't need to look far as our counterparts in the Intermediate School have used Fakebook, and we came across others like fake Twitter feeds, iPhone chats and Google stories. They were just what we were looking for as we asked our students to respond to their Greek mythology reading.

                                                     *              *              *              *              *

Many of us use Facebook to connect with friends and family both near and far and share what's going on in our lives. And while students need to wait to create their own accounts, they can become familiar with the genre through Fakebook, a site where students can create a fake profile, friend list and string of status updates.

When we asked our students to pick a Greek mythology character and retell the myth from his/her point of view, we were impressed with what they came up with. Check out Bryanna E.'s sample on Pandora (click View Full Screen to remove the ads):

View Fullscreen | Create your own

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Twitter is another genre that has taken the world by storm. I have to admit that I'm more of a novice with this one, but every loyal user I know swears by it. Through Twitter, users are able to follow others (i.e. experts in their field) as they tweet out messages and announcements in 140 characters or less. There are also specific features with user names and hashtags that help users manage their tweets.

While the fake Twitter feed seemed to be a bit trickier than Fakebook, it worked for Claire R.:

                                                     *              *              *              *              *

If you don't think students need to learn Twitter quite yet, how about iPhone chats? Chances are if they don't own an iPhone, they may know someone who does.

By focusing on how to write succinct messages with the abbreviated text language, they learn how this genre is unique from the rest (and how these conventions don't work in other forms of communication).

Here is AJ K's chat from Perseus to Persephone:

                                                     *              *              *              *              *

Finally, with Google Story Builder, students can capture a group of characters' collaboration on a Google Doc.  Our students found this option to be the trickiest, but it is also one that leaves a lasting impression.  Here's my sample: 

Prometheus' Plan

I'm sure we'll come across more genres like this in the future, but for now, I know one thing is for sure: when our students sat down to try them out, they were engaging with the content like never before. Not only did they enjoy taking on the voices of the mythical characters, they knew the skills they were practicing would be useful to them. In short, the learning was relevant, purposeful, and, according to them, "fun."

So, consider trying one of these out. Add it to the possible repertoire of reader responses. Alternatively, if you know of another genre/site, leave a comment. One word of caution though. As with any technological project, be prepared for some unexpected hiccups along the way. Whatever you do, try it out yourself beforehand, and be sure to have a tech guru on speed dial. Thanks, Heather!

Common Craft Explanations
Web Tools 4U2 Use
Cool Tools for Schools
The Daring Librarian









Images from:

• http://www.thedaringlibrarian.com/
• http://www.abcnews.go.com
• http://www.pressplay.co.ke/
• http://www.tusconsentinel.com
• http://www.geogreeting.com/
• http://www.fodey.com/generators/animated/ninjatext.asp

The Other Teacher in the Room

In one of my recent posts, I mentioned that there are other teachers in the room, and we can use technology to invite them to participate in ways that seemed unimaginable even just a couple of years back.  Of course, these teachers are the students, and they certainly have a  lot to add to every discussion and activity. This week I was reminded of something that I know all too well but forget far too often.  There's yet another teacher in the room, the author.  

Through read alouds, shared texts and independent reading, we sit down with these master storytellers and revel in their work.  We look closely at the choices they make, use them as inspiration, and even try to emulate them in our own writing.  The thing is, with technology these days, the learning does not have to stop with reading their books.  There are countless ways to connect with them.


Email or Skype the Author

Megan, a student of mine, rushed into the classroom during break earlier this week.  "She wrote back!" she beamed.  She was none other than Jennifer Armstrong, author of Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World.  

Just a few days before, Megan handed in her letter to Armstrong as a reading response for my class.  She wasn't too optimistic that she would hear back from her, but she was glad she tried.  She came up with the idea of writing to Armstrong when I showed the class my letter to Goodreads about possible interview questions for Lois Lowry on her new book, Son.  Asked how she got the author's address, Megan answered,  "Simple.  It's online."

But then Armstrong's reply came, and it made all the difference in the world to Megan. In it, Armstrong elaborated on how she came up with the topic and how the publication of her finished product was pure serendipity as it coincided with a nationwide exhibit on Shackleton's trip.  Check out Megan's response to Armstrong's letter:

On lucky occasions, email may lead to something else.  Last year, I was fortunate enough to collaborate with Katherine Schlick Noe, author of Something to Hold. In a culminating activity, my classes skyped her and asked her questions about her book and her writing process.  During the interview, they showed her their extension project work as well.  While some authors may not be as willing to communicate with their readers, you'll never know if you don't ask.



Check Out Blogs and Websites

Nowadays, authors are asked to maintain an online presence.  Whether they're blogging about the books they read and schools they visit like Linda Sue Park or writing some brief photo essays like Debbi Wiles, authors are showing their writing in new ways.  

What better way to get to know authors before reading a book club book or read aloud novel than checking out their websites.  They may even have some hidden treasures there.

In this week's Mock Caldecott meeting, Nancy reminded us of this when we talked about Laura Vaccaro Seeger's amazing book Green.

On her website's link for educators/kids, Seeger showed images of her sketchbook and explained how the ideas for this book grew from the very first seeds.  After reading it, I appreciated the book on a whole new level.


Watch Book Trailers and Related Videos

Another exciting possibility is the book trailer,  Based on movie trailers, these short videos are the book talks of the 21st Century.  And with a potent mix of sound, images and video clips, it's no wonder they are a hit with readers of all ages.  It's not surprising that teachers and students are getting into the mix as well by creating their own book trailers.  Check out these Book Trailers of some popular titles:

But good videos about books aren't limited solely to book trailers.  The other day I was visiting Nancy and Brian M.'s class, and they had just shown this video about Iqbal as a final point of reflection after having read the book aloud in class.  

Log on to Goodreads

Many of our Grade 7 and Grade 8 classes are logging on to goodreads.com.  I'm starting to understand why.  After rating twenty books or so, users get recommendations and notifications of new releases that match their profiles.  Not only that, goodreads sends out invitations to participate in author interviews and live chats.

In fact, if you've read The Future of Us or Wonder, there's a live chat with the authors coming up on October 23rd.  Click here to find out more.


These ideas may just be the tip of the iceberg, but my point is this:  there is no doubt that learning about an author can go well beyond that page or two in the back of the book.  As readers, we need to check out what else is out there.  When we do, that other teacher in the room may quite literally come to life before our very eyes.



Images from:  goodreads.com;  buttontrapper.com

Gearing Up for Game Plans

One of the things I love about this time of year is football.  I'm not a diehard fan or anything.  I can't even name more than a few players, but there's something about watching two teams battle it out yard by yard.  For me, autumn just isn't complete without it.

Unfortunately, we don't have those crisp, fall afternoons where I can plug into a game here.  Not only that, I'm subjected to viewing the games 2 am or avoiding spoiler alerts the next day until I can replay them on my DVR.  It just isn't the same, but there's one aspect of the game that I do replicate in my own way here.  It's the game plan.

In football, before the players and coaches hit the field, each team sets a game plan, a series of plays they have chosen to use in their first drive down the field.  They've decided on these plays based on their strengths and their opponents' weaknesses.  They've practiced them over and over, minimizing any possibility that they won't work.  And while every play may not turn out the way they hope, they are prepared, focused and determined to succeed.

When it comes to teaching literacy, I do the same thing.  With every unit, my colleagues and I craft focused mini-lessons and teach them with precision.  Like a well choreographed offense, we drive through the unit making minor adjustments to our mini-lessons, bringing our readers and writers to a successful touchdown.

A good game plan involves much more than the mini-lessons we teach though.  Like coaches on a team, we need to take time between the mini-lessons (or plays) to check and see how our players are doing. I know that this is where my game plan needs work.  

After teaching a mini-lesson, I often move through the conferring time bouncing from student to student, trying to meet with those students I've seen the least or catching up with what students are working on right then.  I teach into that moment wherever those students are and go from there.  It works, but it could be better.

Instead,  I need to approach my conferring with the same intensity and purpose as I do with my teaching.  This is the time when I can really move readers and writers forward.  How do I hope to do this?  With formative assessments.  By using them widely and often, I can use the conferring time to follow up with small groups of students who need follow up teaching points.  In other words, I can address the needs of my students at all levels, and if I get it right, I can move down that proverbial field with greater efficiency and accuracy.    

Teacher Dashboard, a quick access to students' work

Last week I tried it out.  Before sitting down, I set my timer for ten minutes to look through my student work and set a game plan.  I know how precious time is, and I'm finding that since the mini-lessons are written for the unit, I do have a few minutes extra to do this important work.

Through Teacher Dashboard, I sorted my students' drafts of Personal Narratives with, looking for how they were using dialogue.  In just a few minutes, I had three piles:  students who weren't using it, students who were using it, but could need to fine-tune it, and students who were using it with sophistication.  

I thought of the skill as a continuum with low, medium and high. To determine teaching points for each level, I asked myself what do these writers need to know or be able to do next in terms of using dialogue.  Finally I made a list of them for each level accordingly.

In the next day's conferring time, Nicole and I pulled the groups separately and taught specifically to each group.  Instead of hitting the whole group with one lesson or following up with each student independently, we taught with precision, highlighting the challenges they were facing as writers at each level and offering a greater range of tips to reach the next level.  It also gave us a chance to extend our highflying writers by pushing them to move from Personal Narrative to Memoir.  

While this work is still relatively new for me (as are some of the formative assessment tools such as Google forms, Confer App, Teacher Dashboard, and sticky notes as a spot check), I plan to add it to my overall game plan as I'm already noticing a difference in my players.  When I do, we'll all be winners as a result.

Images from:   Some rights reserved by Cliff_Baise

We Are the Light

Imagine 400 of the most proficient techies in Southeast Asia congregating physically (and virtually) to share the latest and greatest tech tools out there.  Scary, isn't it?  That's exactly where I found myself this weekend at the Google Summit.

I have to admit, on that first day, I felt out of my league.  I spent my day going from session to session soaking up every idea.  Some of them came at me so fast, the whole experience was "like drinking from the fire hydrant of opportunity," (as Brian M. quoted Bill Hoffman in one of his tweets).  By the end of the day, I was drenched.  Here was this whole community out there doing amazing things with innovative tools, and I barely knew about it.  


A bit overwhelmed, I returned on Sunday, ready to fill up an already full tank when the keynote speaker, Rushton Hurley, reminded me of something important, no matter where we lie on the technology continuum.

My "ah ha" moment began when he showed us this video:

My initial reaction was, yup, I'm the lamp.  I get it.  Like that has-been light fixture, I live in a fast-paced world, and I can't keep up.  That's when Rushton said, "We're not the lamp, we're the light."  And what is our light?  It's when we connect with our students at the time they need it the most.  

That's when it hit me.  Here I was trying to pick up every new trick and tip, but it's not about the technology.  It's about finding more efficient ways to connect with our students and have them to connect with each other.

I remembered the video I had seen in a session on Saturday.  In it, a science teacher used a Google form to ask her students about how they were doing.  As if unlocking a seemingly bolted door, she provided a way through which her kids could express their feelings.  She connected with them unlike any other teacher, and their learning flourished.  Her light shined brighter as a result.

I began thinking about all of the tools I was learning this weekend: Teacher Dashboard, Google Forms, Youtube, Twitter, Google Apps, Google Hangout, and more.  They aren't tools that I need to learn so I can keep up.  They are opportunities for me to connect with my students.  When I use Teacher Dashboard to quickly read through student drafts to see where my writers are or create a Google form to get some instant feedback from my students, I can fine-tune my teaching with more precision.  My light will shine brighter as a result.

The lamp video failed to mention one thing.  With both lamps working together, the whole room is brighter.  Last week, in my Power of Partnerships post, I wrote that I'm not the only teacher in the room. I know that my students have lots to learn from each other, and if I use just one tool that showcases their expertise and perspective, I know that my whole classroom will be brighter as a result.  Check out this video that Rushton shared with us:

By creating this video, this student is able to teach others new possibilities, and when they give him feedback, he finds purpose and place in the community.  His light shines brighter as a result.

Here's the thing.  Our lights aren't broken.  In fact, with the growth we've made over the past few years, they're brighter than ever.  I know this because I've seen it.  With technology though, we'll be able to do it even better.  Believe me, we shouldn't feel as though we need to learn every new tool and trick out there.  There's just no way we can.  After all, there are people around us who already have.  What we need to do is to keep them in mind and call on them when those tools may make a greater difference.  And by having those experts show us how to use them, their light will shine  brighter as a result.

By Sunday afternoon, I no longer felt out of place nor overwhelmed.  I realized that this wasn't just a technology conference.  It was much greater than that.  It was about sharing ideas that work.  It was about leveraging our collective intelligence.  It was about connecting with others to find purpose and place.  In essence, it was all about good teaching and learning, and that's what I strive for each day in my classes.  Now, with some help from those around me, I hope to do it even better.