Troy Patterson

Educator, Thinker, Consultant

Category: Thoughts (Page 9 of 19)

Posting

Posting

November 11, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Well, it’s been a while. There are a multitude of reasons for why I haven’t been posting lately, but I’ll explain them here. I do hope to be back to posting on a regular basis.

COVID-19

Obviously, the biggest issue over the last few months. Due to COVID-19, I’ve been working 14 hour days for six to seven days a week.

LMS Review/Implementation

The school district that employs me underwent a review of our LMS. As you might know from this blog, I’ve long been involved with Moodle. Moodle is a great, pedagologically sound (indeed rich), open-source LMS. Unfortunately, that power comes at a cost. Moodle needs to work on user friendliness. As a result, the district reviewed LMS options.

My charge was to select and implement a more “user friendly” LMS. I worked with a committee to do a full review, and select an LMS. Schoology ended up being the choice of the committee. The strenghth of Schoology is two-fold; ease of use and parent communication.

Unfortunately, we had an extremely tight time frame to implement Schoology. Even Schoology was impressed at the tight time frame that followed. I proud to say that my team and I got it done. We implemented things in weeks that normally take months.

Popularity

Quite frankly, I don’t have a popular blog. Heck, I think that I might be the only audience. If my blog was more popular, I probably would’ve posted much more regularly.

I’m really ok with this, by the way.

#BlackLivesMatter

#BlackLivesMatter

June 4, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I don’t post a lot of political things here. That doesn’t mean that I’m not political or passionate about politics. I am. I’m also privileged. Seriously privileged. I didn’t realize how privileged I was growing up. I still don’t fully grasp all of the ways that I am privileged. but I do recognize that I have advantages because of my gender and color of my skin.

I also don’t passionately follow social media. So, sometimes I miss movements, memes, and trends.

America still has a story to write. Our story until now is written. We can’t go back and change it. We can acknowledge it. We can move forward. We can take small, discrete, positive steps. Some of us will use those small steps to make great leaps. We will write the story of America. It is up to us to determine how that story goes.

What story will we write America?

Weekly Review

May 13, 2020 / / 0 Comments

So, it’s been way more than a week since I posted a weekly review. I’ve been working lots and lots of hours over the past weeks. This left very little time. Unfortunately, it left very little time for much of anything. With a pandemic going on, and education trying to make some adjustments, my job has become overwhelming.

Work

I’m working on a state committee that is trying to address Keeping Michigan Learning.

Meanwhile, I’m also working with teachers and principals to help them understand what technology can and can’t do. This is something that I’ve working on for the past 10 years. I’ve had a really tough time getting people to take action.

Seriously, here is part of the issue for me. Technology isn’t just “good for now”. These are skills and strategies that could have been assisting lots of kids. These are things that could’ve led to greater learning in students. We could have benefitted many, many kids.
But, I’m really not cranky about this.
There is an old adage.

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.
The second best time to plant a tree is today.

So let’s plant some trees (metaphorically). Let’s not look at how we are going to survive the next four months. Let’s look at the next five years. How can we help kids learn? How can we help them become empowered learners?

Personal

On a personal level, I wrote a mailed a couple of good old fashioned letters today. These letters were sent off to my kids. It is kind of funny to call them “kids”, they are both mature, responsible, admirable adults.
I’m really trying to get back to some semblance of balance. I’m trying to do more around the house. I’m trying to take care of things that need to be taken care of.

I heard something about how some people are constantly just living day to day in this environment. I understand that. I’m really trying to live for today while planning for tomorrow.

Contact Tracing

April 11, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Nicky Case has a wonderful, easy to understand explanation of how we could implement contact tracing without Big Brother issues. We certainly don’t know everything about COVID-19, but we do know that limiting infection is a powerful weapon. A problem with infectious diseases is that the infection frequently is “passed on” before the person realizes that they are indeed infectious. This would be a way to help prevent infections from continuing while still protecting our privacy.

Apple and Google have announced that they are partnering on contact tracing. It seems as though this is the methodology that they will be following. Apple notes that they will be utilizing Bluetooth and Cryptology.

I chose wisely.

April 6, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I chose wisely.

Over 30 years ago, I vowed to have and to hold “for better or worse”. I may have the words slightly wrong as I was a bit nervous at the time. Never did we think that there would be a pandemic. We planned on kids. We planned on vacations. We planned on moving. We planned on houses. We didn’t plan on a pandemic.

I chose wisely.

Rosemarie is kind. She cares about others. She looks out for a wide variety of friends, friends of friends and strangers. She regularly checks on friends of our kids. (If you treat our children right, you are a friend, no other information needed.).

Rosemarie is beautiful. To this day, she is always the most beautiful woman in the room. She may balk at this one. But truer words have not been spoken. To me, she is beautiful. Gorgeous. Magnificently, stunningly radiant. Mesmerizing. Alluring. Captivatingly pleasing to the eye.

I chose wisely.

Rosemarie is smart. She is thoughtful. She relates to a wide variety of information. She persistently carries on intelligent, thoughtful conversation.

I chose wisely.

Rosemarie is a great cook. (This is not something to be taken lightly in a pandemic situation by the way. This is like hitting the bonus, bonus and getting the gold coins).

I chose wisely.

They say that two statistics see an increase after a pandemic: Birth rates and Divorce rates. I feel pretty doggone confident that we will not be contributing to the increase in either of those statistics. Over thirty years later, I’m still in love with the one that vowed to love for better or worse.

Video Conference Options

March 29, 2020 / / 1 Comment

Lots of people are currently doing video conferencing right now. We are once again in the “wild west” of tools. On the plus side, our “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order would be very different without being able to video conference.

The ability to connect easily with loved ones and friends is powerful. To do so with “cost” (you still need an internet connection) is wonderful. It is far easier to accomplish than in the early days of video conferencing.

The ability to connect with students and work mates is similarly powerful. However, this is new territory for lots of people.

General Tips

  • Do not post the link to the video session on social media. Generally, anyone with that link can join. There are examples of people with bad intent joining video sessions.
  • Remember (and remind your participants) to carefully review what is in the video window. Sometimes things in the background reveal too much information.
  • Mute your mic when not actively talking.
  • Let others in the area know that you video conferencing. (There can be embarrassing comments made about friends or family).

Major Players

  • Hangouts Meet
  • Zoom
  • BigBlueButton
  • Jitsi
  • Facetime

Hangouts Meet

This is officially supported by many districts now. FERPA agreements are probably in place with Google. Hangouts Meet allows up to 250 participants. The teacher has control and can remove participants (other participants no longer have that ability). We can verify which students were part of calls.

  • Allows for recording by the teacher only. Recordings will be saved in Google Drive.
  • Only teachers can create a Meet.
  • Only the Meet creator can Mute or Remove participants.
  • Logging for FOIA is in place.

Hangouts Meet is available until July 1st for all school GAFE domains. The additional features may roll-back after that.

Zoom

Zoom is probably the most popular right now. Many districts not have a contract with them to ensure FERPA compliance. The free version of Zoom does not include account management. Teachers really don’t have a way to confirm who is really on the video session. * We have had an issue of students posting inappropriate comments in a chat.

There are some additional features that Zoom has made available for now. Those will end at some point.

“For Districts just now utilizing Zoom in their distance learning facilitation, please be aware that Zoom is asking educational customers to manage their own COPPA compliance via parental consent.”

Zoom sends user data to Facebook.

Popular right now is Zoombombing. Zoombombing is joining a Zoom session and interjecting inappropriate content.

Suddenly, dozens of attendees were bombarded with disturbing imagery.

Please make sure that you check and set appropriate settings.

Skype

Skpe is being replaced. It is one of the older options. Skype is being replaced by Microsoft Teams.

BigBlueButton (BBB)

BigBlueButton is open source option that can be run by a district. Obviously, the district would need to have the hardward and personnel to install and maintain it. However, this set up has many advantages. Information is held within the district and not shared with an outside organization.

Furthermore, BBB can be integrated within Moodle. This provides for a seamless, accountable experience for all involved.

BigBlueButton is web conferencing designed for online learning. BBB includes the following features:

  • Participants limited to school Accounts
  • Live whiteboard that is multi-user
  • Webcam sharing (no time limit, no number limit)
  • Chat
  • Audio
  • Breakout rooms
  • Polling
  • Screen sharing
  • BBB overview for moderators

BBB has the ability to record if your organization supports it. For some districts, they may NOT have that turned on due to disk space.

Jitsi

Jitsi is an open source video conferencing option. It requires absolutely no sign-in and is completely free. You can add a password to the conference. You can also use a phone to access. There are lots of options (Share YouTube videos, shared document creation, tiled video, raise your hand, remove users, mute everyone, etc). There are apps for iOS and Android as well. Jitsi is based on webRTC, which is a current standard.

Here is a nice overview.

This is a really good option for adults. The one thing that is missing in this option is the creator/moderator role. Basically, all participants can mute or remove other participants. Thus, this is probably a great choice for adult teams, but should be used with caution with students.

The data doesn’t really seem to go anywhere. They are not collecting email addresses or other information. You can enter an email address if you want. You can also give them permission to connect to your calendar if you want to schedule meetings.

If you do use this option, make sure to create a complex, random meet name (or let them create the name). Otherwise, the meet may exist and you’ll be joining someone else’s meet.

Facetime

Facetime is great. This is especially the case for family members. Facetime requires that all of the users be using an iOS (or Mac) device. It is really great for one-to-one communication. Facetime can be used with groups as well, but that is less intuitive.

Learning is Messy

Learning is Messy

March 4, 2020 / / 0 Comments

CDC Recommendation

The CDC has recommended “remote learning” be put in place in the event that schools close to contain the spread of COVID-19. While this may sound reasonable, (after all, kids are “on their phones” all the time), this is fantasy filled with Science Fiction surrounded by dreams. The reality, as one of my professors once told me, is that learning is messy.

Remote Learning

Let’s start with “remote learning.” What does this really mean? Students “video conferencing”? Fully utilizing a Learning Management System (LMS)? Students completing “worksheets” digitally instead of paper copies?

Technology in Education

If “remote learning” were the best option, we would have fully deployed it already. Technology certainly has a role in education. Technology takes years to fully develop and vet. Teachers need skills in utilizing technology.

Technology is not the saving force that many propose. Ask Mark Zuckerberg about the $100 million that he spent on education. Ask the many Silicon Valley parents who eschew technology for their kids.

Students

Students are real people. Not widgets. Not statistics. Not plots on a number line. They are real. They are messy. They are different. They have emotions. They have needs. Some of the them have broadband access and powerful computers at home. Some of them have rate-limited cell phone plans. Some access the internet on a four-inch, broken phone screen. Students may know how to access TikTok. They may be Instagram proficient. However, they may not know how to leverage technology to learn.

Teachers

Teachers are really all over the map in terms of technology skills. Elementary teachers may not understand how to teach their students how to use email proficiently. I have heard of a teacher call a Helpdesk because they didn’t know how to bookmark their Daily Agenda (which was done in Google Slides); this same teacher teaches Computer Applications to High School students. There is a perception that “new” (read younger, freshly graduated from college) teachers are “good” with technology. The problem is that they are frequenty “good” like kids; they aren’t afraid to push buttons on a phone or computer, but they don’t really understand how to leverage the tools for learning. This is not all that surprising. These new teachers are really just learning how to truly teach.

Tools

If the guidance on “remote learning” really means effective use of technology to teach, we’ve got a long way to go. There are some schools that are already touting Google Classroom as their “remote learning” tool. There is nothing wrong with Google Classroom. It is a fine tool. Generally, it is liked by teachers because it is easy to understand. Google Classroom largely replicates what schooling has done for the last 100 years. It is really good at “handing out” worksheets and collecting and organizing those. (Full disclosure, Google Classroom has tried to implement some other limited capablities. It can provide teachers with opportunities to provide more accurate and useful feedback. Most of those features are rarely used.) Again, there is nothing wrong with Google Classroom. It has some nice features. In the case of closing schools, it is certainly better than nothing.

We do, however, have much more powerful tools (like Moodle) that could provide students with more online learning opportunities. This takes training though. Online learning requires professional staff to develop new skills, new ways of thinking. That is not easy or quick.

Summary

One of my favorite professors told me “learning is messy”. The longer I taught, the more I realized just how right he was/is. Learning is messy. That is not a bad thing. It just is. Learning is messy. Online learning can’t replace a good teacher. Technology can help good teachers reach and push students to heights that were previously unreachable. Learning is messy. A simple suggestion to utilize “remote learning” isn’t going to change that. That call could be a futile political positioning. That call could be a wake-up call for education to start preparing for the future. Learning is messy. Not just for kids. Learning is messy for all of us.

Weekly Review

March 3, 2020 / / 0 Comments

COVID-19

Obviously, the corona virus is in the news. One of the latest features is that some are proposing that schools switch to “online learning”. I’ve long been a big proponent of online learning. However, this is not something that happens overnight. It takes time and talent to effectively provide online learning.

I do wish that the State of Michigan would have invested in providing a great Moodle experience for all teachers. More importantly, I really wish that there had been consistent, high quality professional development over the past few years. Michigan is a “GoOpen” state.

I fear that we’ll see school districts turn on Google Classroom and state that they are providing “online learning”. Now, this is certainly better than nothing at all, but we have the capability to do so much more. We have the capability to be so much better.

Online learning should be about much more than providing a “back-up” in a crisis. However, teachers need support. Online learning will not replace good teachers. Online learning can help leverage good teachers. It can help reach students and provide opportunities that would otherwise be missed.

Moodle Training

We also participated in some Moodle training this week. The training focused on the Assignment and Quiz modules. The training was well done. It really is a challenge though when teacher skill is heavily varied. I keep hoping that every step forward is, well, a step forward.

Moodle Multi-State Group

Our Moodle Multi-State Group also met this week. This is a great group of wonderful humans. The group includes representation from Montana, Rhode Island, North Dakota, and Michigan. We discuss our challenges and our successes. We’ve shared some great ideas. I find these discussions very beneficial. The long-term hope is to collaborate on creating and sharing resources. However, if before getting to that stage, I find these discussions incredibly useful.

SYNC Update

I had an update to the Ford Sync System. I ran through the download, extracting the files and putting them at the root level of the flashdrive. I took the flashdrive out to the car and, nope. No update. I was about to get mad at Ford when I stopped and explictily followed the directions. There was one step when you needed to extract the files using Stuffit Expander (who knew that was still being developed) instead of the built in file expander. Funny thing about actually following the directions is that things frequently work better. Stuffit expander did expand different files. Sync is still not working correctly, but at least it is updated. Oh, and when in doubt, try actually following the directions.

Baseball

Baseball is back. I still enjoy watching a good baseball game. Sunday was the first broadcast Tigers game training game. I allowed myself a bit of time to just kind of chill and watch the game. There is a long way to go until the start of the season, but it’s nice to start enjoying the game again.

Baseball

February 21, 2020 / / 0 Comments

For, lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of the singing of birds is come,
And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.

Ernie Harwell started every Tiger’s season with the above poem.

It’s time for baseball again!

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