A different kind of FETC for 2016

As FETC veterans begin to arrive at the Orange County Convention Center tomorrow, they will, no doubt, notice some changes. For some it will be the fact the FETC - having long dominated the south wing of the OCCC - is now sharing that space with the surfers convention (water surfers, not web surfers) and is split between the north and south wings. Some will notice that the paid workshops are now located at the Hyatt, a short walk from the rest of FETC. These changes should account for a bit more walking this year. No big deal.

For me, the major difference is a personal one. It was a difficult first semester this year. Other then making sure I was prepared for my workshop, I really didn't do much in preparation for FETC. There was no planning of the annual Tweetup at TGI Fridays. We had a run of 5 years with the Tweetup, but there was no real drive to organize it this year. Ordinarily, I would spend the weeks leading up to FETC blogging and Tweeting. There was none of that this year. I didn't use the #FETC hashtag until the drive down to Orlando this morning.

So I wrote all of that to say this, this year FETC will be about re-engaging. Not the regular recharge that I get every year at this massive event. No, I talking about a total reevaluation of my role in education. It will be an opportunity to re-engage with my PLN (which I have neglected as of late). In short, I'm hoping that this week will represent a major turning point in the career. That may seem like a lofty goal for a four day conference. We'll see.

Is it really cheating in the 21st Century?

If this is your first visit to Teaching in Tallahassee, let me make one thing clear from the start - This is not a math blog! As most of my readers know, I'm a history teacher and I blog about both edtech issues and, on occasion, history topics. That being said, I believe that the appearance on the scene of a new math app raises some important questions about what constitutes cheating in our tech-infused world.

PhotoMath, which bills itself as a "smart camera calculator," is a new app for iOS and Windows smartphones (coming to Android in early 2015) that utilizes the phone's camera to solve math problems for users. I don't often get overly excited about new apps these days, but this thing is truly amazing. My immediate reaction was, of course, to lament over why this tool wasn't available as I struggled through high school math.

Once you get past the coolness factor, PhotoMath should force us to deal with some fundamental questions about the use of tools like this in our schools. I shared the app with a group of my 11th grade students this morning and their immediate reaction was elation over how easy their homework would be from now on. But once we talked about the apps potential for a little while, students began to appreciate PhotoMath as a tool that could help them learn. You see, in addition to providing the user with a solution, PhotoMath also provides all of the steps that go into solving a problem. That could be extremely powerful for struggling students, if used correctly.

So how do we define that fine line between cheating and proper use of the tools that emerging technologies provide? I think that can be answered in the same way that I would answer questions about many tech tools that students are using, whether or not we as educators approve.  We can either shut our classroom door to the tool (as many have done with smartphones), or we can embrace the tool, incorporate it into what we are doing, and teach students how to use the tool in a responsible and productive way.  One thing is for sure, kids are going to use PhotoMath. The question is: How will we as educators adapt?

I would love to hear your ideas in the comments.

Here is a video from the PhotoMath website that shows how this app works.

Postach.io - The Marriage of Blogging and Evernote

This is probably the most excited that I've been about a new tool in a long time.  Once in while a tool comes along that sends my mind reeling about its possible applications in the classroom. Postach.io is just that kind of tool. It is built around the idea of publishing blog posts directly from Evernote by simply adding the tag "published" to any note. It's that simple!

To get started, just visit Postach.io and setup a new account using your Evernote credentials. There is acollection of super clean themes from which to choose. Postach.io will auto-create your first post which provides you with a simple set of instructions to get you started.

Because posts are created within Evernote, you can post from wherever you access your Evernote account.  This immediately gets me thinking about students posting from their smart phones, from wherever they happen to be - journaling from a museum field trip, live-blogging a science experiment, or sharing lecture notes. The possibilities are almost endless.

You can take a look at a blog that I created on Postach.io to highlight history resources. I plan on experimenting with it as a live-blogging platform from FETC in January. Stay tuned.

Ring in the New School Year with These Must-See Videos

Most have been around for a while. You probably have seen most of them before. Perhaps there are some that you haven't yet seen. Whatever the case, each of the following videos is worth watching again. It is important from time to time to refocus, and what better time than now - at the start of a new school year.

Keep in mind, this is just a small sampling of the many excellent videos that are out there on 21st Century education, motivation, etc. So here goes.

This first video is a reminder that we may need to rethink how we do things.



A look at the future - with a British accent.



I know that this is not the most recent version of Did You Know?, but it's still my favorite.



If you haven't heard Taylor Mali, then this is a good time to start. What do you make?



A classic from TED. Sir Ken Robinson on schools and creativity.



Just a bit of motivation from a young Dallas student.



And a little bit more Taylor Mali.



Enjoy and pass them on!

Did You Know? - Updated

If you been to any of my presentations, you know that I often include the Karl Fisch classic "Did you know?" Well here's a nice updated version.

Change the Presentation, Not the Content

How can we engage today's students with our content - the same content that we've delivered for years? Perhaps it's as easy as changing the way we present it. I can't remember the last time that I paid attention to the pre-flight presentation on any airline, but this guy would have captured my attention:




What a lesson this provides for teachers that keep doing the same thing year in, and year out.

Hat tip to Richard Byrne.

What is my role? Learner, teacher, or both?

That is a question I often ask myself when considering where I fit in this movement toward providing today's kids with a 21st century education. Having only started teaching and thinking with this focus for about a year now, am I qualified to join the ranks of those that are teaching the teachers? So limited is knowledge of even the most basic web 2.0 tools on my campus that my year of experimentation positions me as a kind of expert at my school. That is great for building one's confidence, but then I engage with my growing PLN and the confidence begins to slip away.

Perhaps that's it. Engaging when no one else on campus is brings with it the responsibility to take on the role of leader and teacher. Are you facing any of the same questions? Do you have similar concerns and/or apprehensions? Or have you had to ask these questions? How did you handle your role? What role did you adopt? I love to hear your experiences.

FL is dropping support for National Board Certified Teachers - Who's to blame?

The Tallahassee Democrat is reporting today that the State of Florida is dropping its financial support (app fees, mentor pay, etc) for our National Board Certified teachers, which will obviously mean less Certified teachers for Leon County. The reaction from local teachers, and our union leadership, will be predictable - state government leaders (meaning GOP leaders) are again attacking education. But is it the Republican Party's obvious disdain for public education (read in sarcasm here) that's at the heart of this situation? Perhaps, but it likely goes much deeper. Indulge me please.

Government leaders - and yes that means the big bad Republicans too - are naturally inclined to do what voters want. When the public wants to pay less in taxes, the legislature responds by cutting taxes. When voters support off-shore oil exploration, government leaders follow suit. Likewise, the views of many of our political leaders follow the attitudes of the country as a whole when it comes to education. Sure, voters always find it easy to talk about their support for education. For the uninformed citizen, it is easy to support any hair-brained idea that makes it onto the ballot (remember FL's class-size amendment - see here and here).

So rather than jump to shortsighted conclusions when it comes to this current issue involving Board Certification, as citizens we should first look in the mirror. If your mirror is fogged by partisan ideas, perhaps you should take a look at Bob Compton's film Two Million Minutes. The film clearly portrays a society that has become complacent with its position in the world economy. By comparing how students in the US, China, and India use their time in high school, Two Million Minutes puts the responsibility for our nations attitude toward education squarely in the lap of our citizens (i.e. parents).

Whether you agree with the overall message of Compton's film or not, it should at least force us to look deeper than the usual knee-jerk partisan reactions.

Here's the trailer for Two Million Minutes:



Tell me what you think.

What does smart mean today?

Thanks to Cathy Nelson for designing this great - and important - poster.