Interactive Lessons with Aurasma

A few years back, I attended a conference where one of the speakers shared a program on her iPad called Aurasma.   It takes a specific trigger image and makes it interactive.  I was intrigued but didn't think much about it again.

Not long ago, my yearbook representative stopped in and showed me something a school district in Indiana is doing with Aurasma and it blew me away!   The kids are shooting photos for the pages, but also short video clips as well.  They used images on the pages to trigger the video clips.  (For example, at the championship Volleyball match, they did a few short video clips of a serve, a spike, etc... and had one of the images tagged to trigger the video clip.) It is AWESOME.

That got me thinking, what can classroom teachers do with this program to make their lessons interactive?   Even teachers of secondary students could use this app to make class different and exciting.

Picture a social studies class.  Place clips of images around the classroom and find a short video clip or audio piece that links to it.  (I have discovered about 30 seconds max for the clips) Have kids download the aurasma app and take a tour of the room.  The same could be done in an Art class, a math class, or even in English.

The whole concept is a great way to incorporate technology but also make class different for the kids.

To use it, one has to have a login and an account create and the app has to be downloaded to the device (tablet, smartphone) so it works.  You can create the actual triggers (or aura) on the computer and merely use the device to make it work.  It really doesn't take that long to make things happen either.

My yearbook staff decided quick to make the book interactive and have video clips of things that happen.  I can't wait to see how it comes out.

Diving into technology

As the school year nears, many teachers are ready to get back into the grind.  Some are going to walk into new endeavors, including being in a One to One environment.   This transition can be tricky for some, so there are a few things to consider before taking the plunge.

1. Technology shouldn’t be used as a replacement for instruction.  It should merely be a tool to help you.  Don’t plan lessons around the technology, sometimes, you can get better results as a human leader than as a tech leader.   Kids love technology, but there isn’t always a need to have it.  If you can teach a lesson the traditional way do it.  Just because you have technology doesn’t mean you have to use it all of the time.
2.   Spend some time using a tool.  Before you implement something, use it yourself.  Don’t assume kids know how to do something, you must teach them to use the tool.  When you know the tool, you can help the kids use it better.  
3. Don’t use a ton of tools, focus on a few that work.  Overwhelming kids with a dozen tools for projects will make them despise using technology.  Stick with a few that you know work for the projects you are doing and use them.  Some tools can be used for many different things with great success.
4. Find sites that you can refer to for help.  There are a lot of great blogs out there that provide readers with hundreds of tips, tricks and sites that can be used for education.  Spend a little time checking them.  I was told once by a very smart edtech blogger to spend just a little time each day to check out stuff.  Don’t spend hours working on this, just a little time is all you need.  
5.  Get a twitter account.  Twitter is the best place to find technology tools and tips.  There are thousands of edtech specialists out there who can help you find what you need. Follow them, they will all offer great things.

All in all, jumping into a One to One environment can be done very simply with preparation. 

The importance of Tech Coaches

As schools start to migrate from a classroom set of computers to a One on One environment, there are a few things that need to be considered in the transition.  The most important thing is an in-house technology coach who can work with students and staff during and after the implementation.

I have been taking part in several area technology council meetings in the tech coach meeting and I am fascinated by the many things that are coming out of schools when a coach is a part of the mix. Teachers who are rather hesitant in the implementation and are afraid of technology feel more willing to try new things when there is a coach to pat them on the back and guide them in the right direction.

A colleague of mine walked me through her process as a coach and it is impressive.  She starts off meeting a teacher and finding out exactly what is needed in the class.  She spends a little time mastering the program or app being used and then when the time comes to start the project, she goes into the first class of the day and teaches the lesson to the students and the teacher observes.  She goes tot he second class and teaches, but has the teacher help.  For the next class, she sits in back as a resource if needed but the teacher does the lesson.  When the last class rolls around, she is back in her office and only goes to a classroom when needed, which she said isn't very often. I think that is very effecient and a great process to have to get a staff member on board with technology.

Several schools are using the SAMR  (The Substiutution Augmentation Modification Redefinition) Model to help identify the needs of the staff.   The teachers are asked to complete a personal survey about their technology usage and understanding.  The coaches explore the data and make a determination about what professional development needs done, who needs what training.  It helps the staff determine what is critical to the training model and what can be left out.  After all, who wants to go to a staff development when something everyone but two teachers know is being taught again?

I have determined after hearing others talk about the models and the need for coaches that my district will have something like this available soon.

Suggestions for 1:1 End of Year

Wow... all I can say about the end of the year is WOW and I can never be prepared for it.  We are a 1:1 school, and for those of you considering becoming one, let me share with you some things I have learned to make the collection process better.

First of all, we started with bar code labels on our devices and relying on those to tag the device.  BAD IDEA... buy silver sharpies and identify the device in several places, on the bottom, on the top by the keyboard and under the battery. The regular wear and tear does not hold the labels on and kids pick at labels.

Secondly, take the time to inspect every device.  When kids bring it back, have them turn it on and show you there are no cracks and issues with the screen.  Last year, we had about 15 devices come back the last day with cracks and broken screens.  The kids weren't available to tell us in detail how and why they broke.  Now, we got smarter.  We developed a very detailed form that identifies the problem with the device (could be as simple as a missing key or as bad as a crushed screen).  This form is stored with the device.  We check them all, make them fill out the form and the meet with an administrator as soon as available to discuss the issue. This form has helped us determine the dedictible.  We have discovered kids and families are pretty good about paying the fees as well.

Third, sort everything.  We have a broken keyboard table, a fine device table, a table for insurance.  When devices come in, they are sorted immediately so our tech people can just grab and go.  The keyboards are easy to fix, so the tech guys work on those when they have a chance. We fill out a form for any lost cord and it is sent to the administration and a bill is sent to families. I also add that as a fine in the library management system so everyone on staff is aware.

Finally, label everything.  Kids lose chargers.  So, after a year of kids coming in without a charger or with broken parts, we decided every part is an asset and will be included in the catalog.  I may have a slew of extra items in the collection, but, kids are held accountable based on their numbers and it works.

These ideas worked for us, perhaps something here can help another district going 1:1.

I am going to flip my class

I have decided after a lot of research, reading and chatting with others, I am going to take a jump in the deep end and flip my class this year.   I have spent numerous hours this summer talking to people on twitter, reading chats and reading blogs about the topic.   As a little background information, I am a French teacher.  I also run the school library. There are many times I am in the middle of class and someone stops in needing technology help. Yes, I have an aid, but sometimes the needs are things only I can do.  I think if I flip my class, a three minute interruption won't impact the kids learning.  I spend only a little bit of time each week doing lecture.  I have found that a short intro of the topic to the whole class and then small pod lessons works best with my kids.  I think what I am already doing is a little flipped, but, I intend to stop the in class lecture and move into the video mode.

I don't intend to make kids watch the videos at home unless they want to.  Since French is not a core class, most kids don't do homework anyway.  They often put it on the back burner to get their core work done.  I can't compete with math, science and English.  Both content areas often require a lot of night work and kids have so many other things to do outside of school.  They spend seven hours a day at school.  Why should they spend their entire evening doing more school work?  Plus, I have to grade it. 

Here is how I envision my class:
Kids will come in and log into Edmodo for their daily starter. (we are 1:1 so all students have a laptop.)  I will be using today's meet or poll everywhere to do warmups.  They will also see links to their videos.  They will be instructed to download the video and be given their daily assignments.  One of the assignments will be watching the video.  While that is happening, I will be in small group talking to the students, using the target language and answering questions.  As they watch the videos they will be taking notes which will be used for their grades.  I also anticipate a lot of projects and group discussion in French.  We are also going to be connecting with Francophone schools via skype and ePals.  I see my kids gaining a lot of their knowledge through communication.

I am looking forward to trying this and seeing how it works.