Who's KATE?

If you're not familiar with KATE and you work in technology in Kentucky K-12 (or elsewhere, perhaps), then let's take a minute to familiarize everyone with their organization. KATE is the Kentucky Academy of Technology Education. It's housed on the campus of Murray State University and provides resources to educators throughout Kentucky, working to enhance the use of technology as an instructional tool.

There are quite a few resources on the site that may be of interest. They speak often of the TICK database. That database holds many effective lesson plans and activities that are aligned to KY's curriculum standards. You can search for a topic and then refine those results based on grade level or subject. Look closely and you'll find potential ways to win prizes by submitting valid and useful content!

The site features a monthly "In Your Classroom" article, written by area educators. It's always nice to read about what's going on in our own classrooms and there are a couple of really good articles featured there now.

There are links to help with student teaching and the struggles of a new teacher. You can also find information related to Kentucky's Core Content as well as national and state teaching standards.

Brenda Nix, the director at KATE, has her own list of top technology tools and this list, along with many other great professional development resources, are featured on the site as well.

For Kentucky K-12 CIOs, we can't praise the usefulness of the KATE site enough! Make sure your teachers are aware of what's out there. For other readers outside of Kentucky, I encourage you to give this site a look. There are wonderful educational resources available - Brenda and her staff have done an excellent job of turning this site into one of the best instructional resources around!

Quick mention - Animoto for Education

Animoto is certainly not a new tool - it's been around for several years. What they've done more recently is release "Animoto for Education", essentially providing some of their premium features for free to registered education users.

What is Animoto? It's a program to create videos where many of the "cool factor" animations are done for you. You provide the pictures and audio and the software mixes it into a video with effects and transitions.


How would I use it? I could see where it would be a relatively easy way to engage students as a new topic is introduced. I could also see where a brief video could be used as a writing prompt. Students could also create their own videos as part of a presentation for an assignment. Promotional videos for school events and student-created public service announcements could be created as well.

Some might argue that Animoto is taking all of the creativity out of the hands of the end-user. That's true to some extent, which is why this tool may not be best utilized in a course where students are being taught the intricate details of video editing. In most cases, however, the focus should be on the content of a presentation. Students could focus on the inclusion of the most appropriate pictures, audio and accompanying text.

I would compare it to the evolution of "teacher web pages". Years ago, teachers were instructed on specific web-editing tools. We thought that every teacher would need to become a web author and expert in HTML. There's still a place for that in specialized cases and coursework, but most teachers want the simplest way to share information quickly. As a result, WYSIWYG editors and content management solutions with built-in editors have become common.

I've heard districts discuss the use of Animoto in limited cases. At the very least, it belongs somewhere on that list of tools that districts might at least consider adopting to accentuate the classroom experience.

Google Calendars and bragging on a district

I'm sure there are a million other people who have blogged, tweeted and written articles about the wonders of Google tools such as Google Calendar. Maybe I hadn't considered just how useful an online calendar would be to teachers, but I now definitely see this as a springboard to generate interest in web-based tools for your teachers.

Share your schedule - whether it be assignments, reminders for students/parents on field trips, fund-raisers, school events, the all-important lunch menu, etc. The uses are limitless. For administrators, you schedule access to computer labs and use of district-owned vehicles, just to name a couple of examples.

Let's take the next step, though. I'll brag on Rusty Back for a moment. During a district PD for his teachers, he customized a Google Calendar session to work in conjunction with his Contribute web software. By showing his teachers how to embed a Google Calendar into their teacher web page, he's now seeing more interest in the use of web-based tools and doors are opening to keep students, parents and the community informed. The process has been made easier, moving from only updating within the district and using Contribute to an environment where a teacher can update his/her calendar via any Internet connection, whether at home or via mobile phone. Teachers are not only editing calendars, but also embedding Picasa slideshows into their web page and publishing newsletters via blog.

We spend so much time introducing an endless stream of Web 2.0 tools to our users. It's so overwhelming for most users. Think about it - if WE as technology leaders feel overwhelmed with all that's out there, most users can't help but feel very intimidated with all that's out there. My advice would be to do what this district has done - choose a few tools that can be customized to work with your environment and train your users with step-by-step instructions on the proper use of these tools. If the staff member can see the benefit in the end result, then you should see some adoption of the tools you selected. The reward of seeing technology effectively integrated is well worth the effort...

An Internet User's License?

For some strange reason, a comparison popped into my head. Are our student Internet use policies similar to the concept of teens obtaining driver's licenses? Should they be? Random points:

* When trying to obtain a driver's license, you're required to study some content and take aptitude tests (both of the written variety and 'road' variety) before obtaining a license. Is it that way with Internet usage in schools? We DO require children to have signed Acceptable Use Policies. We are starting to hear more about cyberbullying (plug for the KY Center for School Safety) and the need to teach the elements of 'digital citizenship'. Should certain instruction be a prerequisite for Internet access?

* Nowadays, most states have a 'graduated' driver's license program. The teen gets his/her license and then can drive under certain restrictions (certain hours of the day, only one passenger, must be an adult with driver's license, etc). With time and no violations, these restrictions are lifted. I suppose it's similar to various filtering policies that districts implement at certain grade levels. Whether that's right or wrong is a debate for another time. Should there be some kind of 'graduated' Internet use policies based on age, 'good behavior', etc?

* Along those lines, repeat traffic offenders are given progressively worse punishments. Occasionally, the police let someone go with a warning. Often, this is not the case. Traffic school can be an option to erase some violations from a bad driving record. If you've been caught speeding twice and get pulled over again, you're not getting a warning. Ideally, the punishment is dictated in part by the pattern of behavior that the user demonstrates. In some schools, everyone gets the proverbial 'slap on the wrist' every time. Then we wonder why constant attempts are made to bypass Internet filters, abuse computer hardware, etc. Likewise, some policies are quite stern and seek to take away access to sites that may well be used for effective instruction. Shouldn't the punishment for Internet abuse be related to the type of violation and the history of the user? This data should be there. Do we use it?

* Lastly, driving is a privilege and it can be taken away. You lose your license for driving under the influence, and the penalties and rules differ when minors are involved. A judge can offer some type of work release, but it certainly isn't a requirement. Suffice to say that, if the violations are severe enough or frequent enough, a driver can have his/her license revoked. Need to get to work? Find a ride. You can't function without a car? You should have thought of that before committing the crime.

It certainly isn't a necessary punishment in every situation, but Internet access and computer access is also a privilege. We've come to believe that it's a right and I've heard many well-intentioned people get very frustrated when they see technology 'taken away' in the name of discipline. I would agree that, if done in the wrong situations for the wrong reasons, removal of the technology can be excessive. However, I think we need to acknowledge that there comes a time where, if a user has signed off on an AUP and knowingly engages in destructive and/or highly inappropriate behavior, removal of access is the proper punishment. Need a computer and don't have one at home? Go to the library or a friend's house. Unable to complete the assignment without a computer? Work something out with your teacher and find another way. That's hopefully an extreme and rare example, but I don't think it can be taken completely off the table simply because users "have to have it".

/end rant

Cool tool (and free) - SolarWinds IP address tracker

I had a district show me a free IP tracking tool from SolarWinds. This tool would be good for any district who uses spreadsheets to track used and available IP addresses. The tool scans a particular subnet and reports on which IP's are used or free, how long it has been since it was used (which I think it gets from DNS), and it can also query devices using SNMP.

At minimum, I'd say that most of us have a small block of static addresses used for servers, printers, switches and countless other devices. This might be an easier way of keeping track of that info. There are additional features in a paid version of the tool, such as scheduling IP scans to take place at certain times and also assigning groups.

This may be a good tool for many of you. Here's a three-minute video from their company that discusses this tool:

Libraries and today's technology

One of my followers on here is known to have said to his users that, if and when technology resources were down, "...go read a book". My boss sent an article around for our thoughts and it's had me thinking about libraries. The article is titled "The Changing Library" and was published in the American School Board Journal.

If you follow that link, you'll find the first few paragraphs followed by another link to purchase the article. As luck would have it, you CAN find that article via the Kentucky Virtual Library, and maybe that's one of the points of this blog post. Do we realize the resource we have? KY CIOs, does your district actively utilize this resource? This topic surfaced during a recent webcast when, during a discussion of potential sources for funding cuts, KyVL was mentioned as one potential resource that might have to be cut. I believe that has been avoided, but the whole discussion made me think about that resource. Along with the content of the article, it has caused me to think about our libraries in general.

The number and location of computers in our libraries today varies WIDELY. As you know, some schools have full-time library/media specialists and some have had to do away with full-time positions due to budget cuts. The article I read suggests a strong correlation between the strength of a school library and the aptitude shown on testing, overall reading skills, etc.

Maybe I'll simply ask several questions and come back to this topic at a later time. Right now, I find myself asking:

* If I walked into your school's library and wanted to research a topic, would I be able to do so effectively? Where would I go to get the most current and accurate information?

* If I could remodel the school's library, how much technology would I have? Where would I place it? Do I need mobile access?

* Are my computer labs today serving as research centers? If so, should they be part of (or adjacent to) the library?

* Is my library/media specialist a strong technology user? Should he/she be? (At this point, my thoughts are that this person or department could hold the key to technology integration, since we often lament the fact that students have difficulty validating the accuracy of information found on the Internet)

* What role does my library play in the overall instruction taking place in our schools? Could (or should) that role be increased? How?

If you do decide to comment, keep it civil and acknowledge that both groups (tech leaders and librarians) struggle with the pace of change, the lack of funding, etc.

Cell Phones in School? The debate goes on...

I guess it's a 'feeling' I have. Maybe it's some articles I've read lately about recent updates to cell phone policies in Jessamine and Henderson counties. I see friends and co-workers blog and tweet about their devices or the latest apps for their devices. I have blogged and tweeted about cell phone signal boosters as well as the federal laws against jamming cell phone signals. If you found your way here searching for the answer, I'll report that I don't have it. I will say this, though. We need to have a healthy respect for both sides of the debate, no matter which side on which we find ourselves.

Why on Earth should we allow this? Vicki Davis does a good job of making the case in her blog. Before reading her thoughts, I hadn't considered the comparison between scissors (not allowed on airplanes but allowed in school) and cell phones (allowed, at some level, almost everywhere while being discouraged or denied in most schools). She also mentions safety, ease of information access and makes the assumption that we're "fighting a losing battle" because of the demands of parents.

I think we're all familiar with the concerns about cell phone use in class. Equity of access should be very high on that list. As a frame of reference, my personal cellular phone has no data plan and only the most basic of texting plans. My work cellular phone has a data plan, but no texting plan. Not every student would have a cell phone and I can only assume that this would hinder their educational use in some of the same ways that we've seen with computers for some (versus ALL) of the students. We've seen news articles related to cheating on exams, videoing or photographing inappropriate things, and any number of text-related issues, including but not limited to student/staff relationships and boundaries being crossed (find your own link here, they're all too common).

As I stated earlier, one thought running through my mind is that both sides have valid points. I've read several articles, along with comments following those articles. Many writers and comment posters argue their point without at least acknowledging the validity of the opposing viewpoint. State law requires that districts have a policy on the possession and use of personal telecommunications devices, so school districts have a right and responsibility to address this in some fashion.

It's a complex issue and I don't want to pretend to oversimplify the matter, but I keep coming back to one theme when I think about issues such as this one or Internet filtering. Much of the controversy centers around what I'm going to call "time on task".

I was a good student, but I wasn't particularly interested throughout Algebra II class. If I had possessed a cell phone with Internet access or some similar technology, I would have been very tempted to avoid focusing on the class. Was this due to the content? Was it due to an ineffective teacher? Was I a poor student for being so easily distracted? Whatever the case, students today are often going to drift off-task if given the chance. They did it in my day as well, perhaps with note-passing or games of paper football.

I'd say teachers today have it tougher than in times past, due in large part to the increased number and types of distractions available. Students have grown up multi-tasking, absorbing information in soundbytes and with a constant need to be entertained (since they're being marketed to in the same constant fashion and via all sorts of media). There's pressure on schools to change and to embrace this world where knowledge is at our fingertips and learning may need a focus on the ability to properly discern and apply the knowledge available.

I'll avoid that rant for now, but suffice to say that this is a very timely topic and worthy of consideration. We should take an honest look at where our stakeholders are: students, teachers, administration, parents and community. Keeping our content relevant and keeping our classrooms on the task of learning is a challenge made (easier or tougher or both, insert word here as needed) by the access we're afforded to current technology.