Moving!

This blog will be moving to a new home very soon.

I spent several hours yesterday afternoon/evening tinkering with both WordPress and Posterous and have concluded that WordPress will be my platform of choice. I am going to use Posterous for a future #365 project and with my students due to its ease of use. As @stevegillott put it, Posterous is more of a "fire and forget thing". Which is great for newbie bloggers but does not suit my needs.

I have already set up the WP blog and it is under construction. My new home is "jamesmichie.com/blog" and you can follow its progress over the next few days as I set it up. I have already transferred two of my static pages from this blog. I have added follow buttons, a CC license, search box, TweetMeme button and I have teaked the CSS chnging the font to Helvetica and the colour of hyperlinks.

When will the move be finished? It is my hope to have the move complete by the end of the weekend. My next full blog post will hopefully reach you from my new home. :-)

Should I Move My Blog?

Having bought the domain jamesmichie.com and spent some time creating a landing page, I would like to move my blog to jamesmichie.com/blog. However, Blogger will not allow me to do this as it is neither the original domain nor is it a sub-domain. Therefore, I have been left with a choice. Keep my blog where it is and redirect from jamesmichie.com/blog (as it does now) or move my blog to a different blogging platform. This could be quite a bit of work and is therefore not an easy decision to make.

When I am struggling to make a decision I turn to mind mapping, so I can way up the pros and cons. Here is what I came up with this morning over a cup of coffee:

Click To Zoom!

What do you think? Stick with Blogger? Move to WordPress? Or move to Posterous? Your thoughts and comments are welcome.

To view the mind map as a downloadable PDF click here.

jamesmichie.com

So, I finally bought a domain. I almost bought one when I first set up this blog but essentially I chickened out as I was more than a little unsure about the process nor was I sure about how this blog was going to evolve.

What changed my mind? Confidence. The success of this blog; people actually read it! Learning some basic html because I became dissatisfied with the look and feel of my blog. A need to bring my web foot print under control. And finally, to provide a more professional first impression of me for potential employers.

I was very happy to find that "jamesmichie.com" was available. So I went ahead and bought the domain through "bluehost" - recommended by Doug Belshaw (@dajbelshaw). I have since spent my time creating a static landing page.

Note on Doug Belshaw: Doug was a fantastic help when I started blogging and continues to be a great help now, giving up some of his free time this past Sunday evening to skype with me and help me understand how to set up a static landing page. Thanks Doug!

I went through some trial and error in the process of building it (I used Concrete5) but I'm happy with the results so far.

Click To Zoom!

I'm thinking of adding a professional looking photo of myself but I think that is where I will stop.

What do you think? Please comment below.

Please Feel Free To Use My Stuff!

Several people have blogged recently on Creative Commons licenses and what to do when people steal your work, presenting it as their own. 

I’m jumping on the bandwagon a little and offering my perspective on the re-use of material from my blog. I use a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 U.K. license which allows you to copy, distribute, display, perform and make derivative works from my blog content. I picked this license because I wish to share. I am in the habit of “giving gifts”! (Godin, 2009) This is a philosophy that I deeply believe in. On my blog itself I have tried to stay true to that same ethos when using found material. If I have used others work, I have given them credit, added links and contacted them to let them know that I'm using their stuff. I simply ask that anyone who uses material that I have made and published here do the same. So here is a statement that I plan to feature permanently on my blog. 

If you wish to use any of the material published on this blog, then please:

1. Give me credit. Acknowledge the work is not your own.
2. Provide people with a link. This could be my blog address included at the end of a PowerPoint presentation or a hyperlink on your blog. Whatever it is, it will allow any interested parties to visit the source of the original content and perhaps find other material that they might find interesting. 
3. Contact me. Let me know what you have used, why, and what the results were. Perhaps I can help? I may have ideas to share or more information which may be of use. I may even offer to feature a post about you/your work on my blog.

Considering this issue has made me reflect on why I blog. 

My blog is my “cave” (Thornburg, 2007) where I internalise, reflect and evaluate. It is why I moved beyond writing a class blog to writing this, a personal blog that is unashamedly for me, about me. This is not ego tripping but a feature of my journey as a life-long learner. My “cave”, however, is made of glass so that anyone can look in on my learning journey. And I have provided a convenient in-tray where people can leave comments, questions, ideas. My blog therefore, is also the “watering hole” (Thornburg, 2007) or at least a conduit to it, much of the discussion generated on the blog being transferred to Twitter where it continues and evolves. This is why I blog, for me, and for you. This blog is my "gift"!

If the "cave" and "watering hole" metaphors have left you either intrigued or confused, then please read: Campfires in Cyberspace by David D. Thornburg Ph.D.

You may also like to read more about "giving gifts", if so try: Linchpin by Seth Godin

CC Logo courtesy of Drew Baldwin on Flickr.

Boo #4: Blogging

What is your preferred blogging platform to use with students?

Links:

May You Be Present Here And Now

Disqus

Claiming a posterous blog for future use...
Posterous
A week of blogging and creative learning

Blogging whilst jammed under Mr Smith from Wandsworth's elbow

Bait

Tweeps:

Andy Kemp (@andykemp)

Doug Belshaw (@dajbelshaw)

Kevin McLaughlin (@kvnmcl)

Brian Sharland (@sharland)
Kristian Still (@KristianStill)

You can subscribe to my Boos via iTunes or RSS

You can contact me by Email or Twitter.

Design as Teaching

I am in the middle of reading ‘Design: A Very Short Introduction’ by John Haskett. Like many other design related books ‘Design...’ begins by exploring the evolution of design establishing the idea that design permeates every facet of life. Haskett then goes on to discuss the merits and values of form and functionality - something which is explored effectively by Bruno Munari in the excellent ‘Design as Art’. Reflecting on the values of form and functionality got me thinking about how much design goes into the learning that takes place in my classroom and reminded me of something that I was told as a trainee during my first school placement.

“Even the smallest change in environment will effect their (students) behaviour and attitude towards learning.”  

This has stuck with me and has had a profound effect on how I approach everything I do as a teacher. In all that I do, weather it is maintaining the learning environment or assessing students work, I give considerable consideration to both form and function. 

The following is a list of ways that design (form and function) have impacted on the learning inside my classroom. In order to keep this meaningful I have not provided an exhaustive list but simply offered two examples for each area. Under each heading, the first example demonstrates how form has impacted on that particular area of my teaching. The second example demonstrates how functionality has had an impact. 

Classroom (Learning environment)

• Your classroom must be clean with well maintained (preferably interactive) displays. It sends a message to the students, the minute they arrive in your room, about the sort of teacher you are and what standards you will expect from them.
• The way that you use your seating in your classroom is exceptionally important. I have developed a seating plan system in which I seat my students in pairs based on similar ability. They are sat behind/in front of another pair who are slightly more able which allows me to minimise movement during group based activities. I also incorporate the students’ photos on to my plan along with their target grades and any SEN information that is available. For the first term I adjust the seating arrangements until I am happy that it works in terms of learning/behaviour. This process really helps me get to know them quickly and informs my understanding of each students potential.

Lesson planning

• I try to make sure that my lessons are engaging and challenging to ensure that my students enjoy what they are learning. This does not mean that my lessons are ‘fun’! It simply means that I ensure the activities are well designed for the different learning styles/abilities of the students in each of my classes. The right amount of challenge ensures that students feel engaged and will thus enjoy learning.
• One of the keys to effective planning is maintaining an understanding of flow. I use Google Calendar to keep a record of my lessons. To ensure flow and that my classes and I reach our predefined goals I constantly review what we did in the previous lesson and what we will be doing in the following lessons. This helps me ensure that the activities and learning aims of each lesson are appropriate and will stretch/challenge each student to meet their goals by the end of the unit of work.

Teaching style

• I video myself regularly (I am not vain, honest.) to improve the quality of my lesson delivery. For example, I have made significant changes to the way I use the tone of my voice in lessons as well as simply kicking a few bad habits. However, I don’t think I will ever stop saying “erm...” all the time! ☹
• I have also worked significantly on questioning techniques and approach certain lessons/units with a preconceived set of questions/questioning styles to facilitate different modes and levels of learning. It has also helped me be truly inclusive, having formed a specific methodology around questioning to target specific groups of students.

Homework

• For both form and functionality I put nearly all of my homework online through the Moodle course that I am using for the particular unit I am teaching. I will often include a YouTube video as part of the homework, be it in a forum to spark discussion or as part of an assignment. Embedding the video is far more aesthetically pleasing that simply inserting a hyperlink. This video demonstrates how to embed YouTube videos into Moodle. The first method demonstrated works within the forum, wiki and assignment modules also.
• One of the most important things about homework for you as a teacher is that it is manageable. This was one of the deciding factors in why I moved to putting nearly all of my homework online through Moodle. Marking online through Moodle is quick and relatively hassle free in both the forum and assignment modules. What’s more, Moodle gives you the ability to instantly grab data on students that have/have not done their homework. This record can be easily collated and printed to provide evidence for parents about their son/daughters completion (or lack there of) of homework. Very powerful!

Marking and assessment

• No red pens please! No, I’ve not bought into some educational fad. Red is simply an aggressive colour and I choose to avoid using it to mark my students’ work. Blue or green are equally good colours and show up perfectly well against the black type of my students’ essays. It’s simply a personal choice!
• A recent redesign that has taken place within my teaching practice is that I have moved the majority of my formative assessment from paper and pen to electronic methods particularly through the use of Google Docs. I can assess a student work both in real time during a lesson and also after the fact. They can access their work and see my comments anytime they are online. And this method of assessment can, if used correctly, provide a clear record of the students targets and progression. (More on this in a future post.)

Technology

• I love Apple. I teach on a MacBook Pro and adore the ergonomic and aesthetic beauty combined with seamless functionality that it offers. Apple produce devices that are objects of pure beauty. I used to be a PC but I could never return to “ctrl+alt+del”, erroneous file menus and (“spits”) Internet Explorer. Thinking about it makes me shudder! ☺
• As a teacher I believe you should only use technology where it will enhance the learning of your students. I have put considerable time into testing and picking the technologies that I use with my students. They must be easy to use so that my students and I can focus on the learning rather than on how to use the technology. Here are three different examples of technology I have used with my students:
• Twitter
• Flip Video Cameras
• Lino It

How has design impacted on your teaching? I would really like to know if some of the ideas I have put across have struck a chord or made you think about the form and functionality of your own teaching practice. You can comment below.

Image: ‘Golden Flowers’ by Shareen M on Flickr.

May You Be Present Here And Now

Effective teaching and learning is about being present; being in the moment.

Too often I am aware of teachers who are not being in the moment.

When you are teaching please don’t:

Sit at your desk for the entire lesson

Check your email

Try to book your next holiday

Plan your next lesson
Play a video for the entirety of the lesson

These actions and others like them send one simple message to your students: That you don’t care. Perhaps the reason you don’t care is because you are not being in the moment, you are elsewhere. The knock on effect of this is probably poor behaviour from your students, they are now, not in the moment either because they don't want to be and they are certainly not learning.

If this is hitting home and you want to reinvigorate the teaching and learning in your classroom, then begin by turning off your email for a day. Forget about what you are doing next lesson or tomorrow. Get up from your desk and step away from the white board. For the whole day, lesson by lesson, inside your classroom focus on the here and now. Your students will appreciate the attention, real learning will take place and you will feel so much better for freeing yourself of other matters, particularly your email inbox.

Remember "you are here now"!

Image "you are here now" by farouche and available to buy on etsy.

Boo #3: #TMMoodle, #ETRU & #readforjoy

Links:

TeachMeet - Wiki

Lessig method
My TeachMeet Moodle blog post
TeachMeet Moodle - Wiki
#TMMoodle - Twapper Keeper archive
My TeachMeet Moodle blog post at Open Source Schools
Daniel Needlestone's refelctions on #TMMoodle
Dai Barnes' #TMMoodle blog post
EdTechRoundUp
This weeks #ETRU flash meeting
Subscribe to the #ETRU podcast via iTunes or RSS
MoodleCommons.org - A place to share Moodle courses
PodCamp - An alternative style of unconference
#teachread (or should that be #readforjoy?)
World of Books - Google Maps 

Tweeps: 

Miles Berry (@mberry)
Daniel Needlestone (@nstone)
Dai Barnes (@daibarnes)
Helen Morgan (@nellmog)
Tony Shepherd (@grumbledook)
Doug Belshaw (@dajbelshaw)
Bill Lord (@joga5)

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You can subscribe to my Boos via iTunes or RSS 

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You can contact me by Email or Twitter.

TeachMeet Moodle

Today I gave a presentation to fellow Moodlers at the first ever TeachMeet Moodle which was organised by Dan Humpherson (@MoodleDan) and was hosted at Heythrop College in Kensington, London. The Meet kicked off at 11:00 with speed "dating" networking followed by a series of excellent and varied presentations.

The Twitter hash tag for the event is: #TMMoodle.and you can see a complete archive of the tweets here. All the details about the Meet can be found here, including a list of attendees, presentation titles and discussion topics. 

Below is the recording of my presentation: Blended Learning: How Moodle changes the learning inside and outside of my classroom. Thanks to Leon Cych (@eyebeams) for recording all of the presentations.

And here are the slides I used in the presentation. I did overrun a little but I don't think anyone was too upset by that! :-)

 

During my presentation I briefly discussed my belief that Moodle brings the 'learning spaces' of the campfire, watering hole and cave into one place, blending them together. My understanding of these concepts represent my response to reading David D. Thornburg Ph.D.'s 'Campfires in Cyberspace'. You can read it here and see an extensive mind map that I created exploring the ideas put forward by Thornburg here.

'Presentations of note'

After dealing with a few technical issues, Gideon Williams (@gideonwilliams) used Prezi to show a wide variety of plugins that help improve the functionality and interactivity of Moodle. This really hit home as I am always looking to improve the way that I use Moodle. (See the video here.)

The other presentation that struck a chord was delivered by Dai Barnes (@daibarnes) who showed off some fab moodling at St Benedict's School. Their VLE looks great and is used really well by a member of their Music department. Great results from a teacher being encouraged to experiment with Moodle. (See the video here.)

Honourable mentions also go to Miles Berry (@mberry) for his presentation about using Moodle to teach teachers about e-learning (and for being a really nice guy); Daniel Needlestone (@nstone) who kept it light-hearted with his 'Mallards and Moodle' presentation; and Helen Morgan (@nellmog) who made a strong case for form being as important as functionallity within a Moodle course. You can see their presentations (and the rest) here.

I would like to say thanks to everyone involved. It was my first TeachMeet and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Anticipating and looking forward to the next one.