Google Hangout in the classroom - Bring in the experts

Last week I experimented with Google Hangouts in the classroom. I asked two of my game designer friends if the would connect for a short time with me and four students who have been using Stencyl to make computer games in a science class.

James Kyle and Kory Heath (see below for more information on their work) graciously agreed to take time to meet with us.  I sent them a short email explaining what we've been doing in class and we arranged to connect about 20 minutes early just to make sure things were working.

The classroom teacher I'm working with, Andrea Thelen, and I met with James and Kory and quickly prepped on what we'd cover in the 25 minute session.

The students were glad to meet with a couple guys who are livings their dream of making digital games.  James and Kory were quick to point out that its a lot of work with no guarantee of decent pay when one sets out as an independent game designer.

The best tips that came out of the session were:

• Don't try to work alone. Find other designers you can work with, get feedback from and learn with. 
• Keep a game design notebook for ideas.  You'll never have time to program them all, but by keeping them in one place you can easily come back to them even years later.  They will develop and combine over time. 
• Break big ideas and dream designs up into manageable pieces you can start on even now. That can make the hard work of learning a little more fun. 

The meeting definitely encouraged me to try more of this. The students enjoyed it and have asked more than once if we can meet with them again. On the downside,me did have a lot of lag for about 10 minutes of the meeting. I think it can be attributed to the computer lab being in full operation right when we started.  Next time I will try meeting with just one person to see if that makes a difference. 

I want to give a special thanks to my friends James Kyle and Kory Heath.  Please check out their work when you get a chance.

• I wrote about Kory's work in this post and he was very influential in the work that led to my class creativity presentation games. 
• James Kyle is a great friend of mine who helped immensely in my early efforts to get my games to the world.  His unique word game for iPhone is called Word Surgeon. 

What's It to Ya? randomizer for classroom presentation games

Much of this site is dedicated to classroom games based on my party game What's It to Ya? (a.k.a. Oh, Really!). You can find all the rules and ways to use the game on the Critical Thinking Games page.

This new installment to my resources is simply a randomizer that draws item cards for any of those activities.  If using this as a classroom presentation game, you'd need a response system (set of clickers) that allows students to do a sort in order question.

Update 8/8/2013:  If you like this activity and want to use the physical party game in class, my friends at Fair Play Games are selling four copies in a classroom bundle for only for $7.99!  That's enough for 32 students to play in multiple groups.  Check this post out for more information.

Just click the start button in the randomizer below.  Five cards will be randomly drawn from a set of 118 items that could spark interesting discussion or thought in the classroom.  See this page for a list of free critical thinking classroom activities that would use the cards.

(If the randomizer is not displaying correctly in your browser right click here to download the file.  You might have to open it with Flash Player or another browser.)

Again, you'll want to see the game's page to get all details, but basically you can use the randomizer to select the cards and then use them in any of the many ways outlined on that page.  Usually someone (depending on how you play) will rank the items from most important to least important.  Predictions and discussion can follow.  Briefly, some possible uses are:

• Have one student or the teacher rank the items and the class tries to predict his or her rankings.
• Just display five items, have the class rank them and discuss the results.
• Display random items at the end of class and assign a short writing piece for homework.  Students can express their own opinions and also make predictions on how the class would rank them.
• If students are playing in groups they could use a laptop to select the five items for their group instead of using cards.

If you're having fun with What's It to Ya? be sure to check it out at Fair Play Games.  My friends there are selling off the last remaining copies for less than $2.50 each! I'm not getting royalties for this game, so this is just my effort to help you and them out.

Middle School Web Design Assignment with Google Apps for Education

We set up Google Apps for Education at the the middle school this year.  I really like the possibilities, though we still have a ton to learn and grow into.  I created this assignment to get students started with a basic website and blog using Google Sites.  Let me know if this is of interest and I can post the other assignments I've given using Google Sites, Forms and Presentations.

Middle School Website Assignment 1

Music creation for the classroom...and for teachers

As I've posted previously, I am always looking for opportunities to create music in the classroom.  Here are a couple videos I quickly put together.  Both are of a song we used to kick off our project based learning PD last week.

The first was created in iMovie on the iPad.


This second version was done with WeVideo.  There are some limitations in WeVideo that I don't like, but overall I'm very impressed with the possibilities for using this in class.  I haven't had the chance yet, but I hope to in the next couple weeks.
 

The song was recorded in GarageBand on the iPad.  It's a little rough, but I think it's a great example of how easy it is to make some fun music and put a video together.  I hope to have some examples of student work soon.

Favorite Free Apps for Video Slideshows, Tutorials and Frustrating Tech in School

This past week was our district technology professional development.  It's my one big show of the year.  The  topic I was given was project based learning, but I used it as a backdrop to challenge everyone to try something new, creative and passionate in their classrooms.

To provide a concrete example we kicked the session off with Tech's a Maybe, a rewritten version of the popular song.  If I get a chance to finalize it, I'll post a recording here.  

I put together a few tutorials and examples based on iPad apps and other processes I use to create narrated video slideshows.  They're posted on the site I created for the district PD, but here are the links by page:

• Examples free apps for video slideshows* - One example was created with Pixntell and the other was with Videolicious.
• iPad tutorials for free apps for video slideshows - How to make a quick narrated slideshow with Pixntell and Videolicious.  There are also tutorials for transferring files using Google Drive and one for Educreations (a good free app for flipped teaching video lessons).
• Tutorials for creating narrated slideshows on a PC - These tutorials are for older versions of PowerPoint and Photo Story, but that's what most lab computers still use in our district.

*A couple notes about pros and cons of these free apps from the tutorial page:

Pixntell is limited to five slides and there are no bells and whistles, but it is a very simple app for making a narrated slideshow.

Videolicious makes a nice looking slideshow that includes pictures, narration and music.  You can even add video clips, though it is not addressed in this tutorial.  

The potential negatives are your video will be limited to one minute and you give up some control on the panning and zooming.  

Great new classroom resource - Infuselearning

I'm neck deep in professional development prep this weekend, but I had to take a moment to point out Infuselearning.  I went to a superintendents conference yesterday and Leslie Fisher showed us this great tool for connecting with students.  It's been out at some level for a while, I guess, but it was very new to me.  It's like Socrative, but has some amazing advantages.

It's essentially a classroom response system for any device.  But what caught my attention was the number of question types the teacher can send to the class.  You can even have student submit pictures!

And pre-made quizzes can be read aloud to students...in multiple languages.

Here's their mission:  "We will promote educational change through empowering teachers and bringing students to the center of the learning conversation through simple, easy to use technology."

I like it.

I also love what it could do for the creativity class presentation games and systems I've been working on.  Finally I have some tools I've been waiting for.  I'll have an account and be testing this as soon as I finish the presentation for the district PD day.  

Meaningful Contribution - Hope for keeping students engaged

I've been working on some classroom projects lately where the final result is going to be publicly posted or shared with other classes to help them learn.  It seems there's an increase in motivation and the students are more likely to keep their work at a higher standard.

I also am still working on my series of lessons connecting the power of story to students's lives.  The original idea came from Storyline by Donald Miller (reviewed in the link above), with that work being party based on Viktor Frankl's logotherapy.  According to logotherapy, meaning is our primary need that we seek above all else.

So as I've been addressing classes and forming lessons (for teachers and students) my emphasis has been on projects or learning in general that always results in a meaningful contribution.  

I don't want to manipulate students by bringing up grades.  There are too many examples of fun loving students who have lousy grades.  Grades matter to younger students, but by the time they reach the secondary levels, overemphasis turns the whole system into something about getting credit rather than learning.

I don't want to make promises of good jobs and lots of money.  The connection between school and great employment has been revealed as a fantasy.  And in our consumerist society those things are too far off to motivate students anyway.

My new focus is meaningful contribution now.  As I've done this, I see the focus move toward learning--learning what it takes to get an important job done.  I get less questions about grades and I see better work.

For example, one group of middle school students I'm working with is creating video lessons for third graders.  For a professional development session next week I will have teachers create video presentations that will be shown to our secondary teachers who can't attend the session.  Even just telling the teacher and students that their work will end up on the school website has added some life to the projects.

Of course, this is nothing new.  I am just trying to make sure the projects matter more than just something for the teacher to grade.  But I'm making a conscious effort to present everything in terms of meaningful contribution.  

In working toward that, learning becomes necessary.  Grades, credit, test scores, employment and good citizens are all natural results.

Coming Soon - The Creativity Game of Great Movie Trailers

I'm very excited to announce this new classroom creativity game (or what some are calling classroom presentation games) based on concepts from Donald Miller's Storyline and Million Miles in a Thousand Years.

In the game, students create elements of a great movie trailer.  It's all based on Miller's description of what makes a great story:  A character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it.

Through creativity and competition, three to five players will make up those elements and the class will vote on their favorites.  The objective of the game is to teach students what makes a great story and it is part of a larger work I am developing based on Miller's Storyline book and process for living better stories.

It also makes a fun creativity exercise and can be a great resource for a Creative Writing class.

Here's the link to the online version of the Coming Soon Creativity Game.  The directions for playing and other information is below.

Note that the this post refers to the version of the game that the whole class can play using a computer, projector and other optional technology.  If you want to see a party game version that students can play in groups, you can find it here. 

Here are the directions for playing this very entertaining game with a class.

Overview:
Three to five creative students compete to make the best elements of a movie trailer.  As we all know, movie trailers get us excited about those films that are soon to be released by hinting at the characters, action and suspense that make for great stories.

In this game, a random setting and character trait starts creative juices flowing.  Over four rounds the contestants brainstorm one element of the movie at a time and the rest of the class votes for their favorites.  The contestant whose contributions are picked most often over the course of several movies wins the game.

What you will need to play:
(As indicated below, some components can be adapted for available technology in your classroom and another way to use the generator is listed at the end of these directions.)

• A teacher computer that can access the Coming Soon Creativity Game webpage
• A projector connected to the teacher computer
• A way for 3 - 5 contestants to record their responses - Ideally these will be laptops or other devices in a wireless network, but contestants can just use pencil and paper.
• A way for the class to vote on the contestants' responses - Any classroom response system will work for this as long as you can take a vote from all students.  If a CRS is not available a simple show of hands can suffice.

Preparation:

• Go to the Coming Soon Creativity Game webpage and project that page at the front of the room.
• Choose three to five creative students to be the contestants.
• Have the contestants sit at the front of the class in an arrangement that allows them to easily see the webpage projected on the screen/board.
• If using laptops or other devices, to record responses, use the Socrative site to create a room and have students join it.  See below for more details on that site.
• If contestants are just recording responses on paper, make sure each one has a sheet of paper and a pencil.
• Give other students in the classroom a voting device if using a classroom response system for their votes.

Steps for each movie:
Before getting into the details of play, you need to understand how the contestants and the class will be involved in the creation of a "movie".

In this game, the movie will be created and revealed one element at a time.  The elements will be briefly described and the way they unfold is much like a movie trailer.  Since the creative process lends itself to humor, most movies and stories will be funny, but here's an example of how the actual movie Star Wars might come out in this game:

 Luke works on a farm on a desert planet.

He longs for adventure and a part in the galactic battle for freedom.

His uncle wants him home, he’s untrained and his dream seems like a boy’s fantasy.

Star Wars ­ May the force be with you

Each of those lines would come out of a different round of play.  In each round the contestants will know something more about the developing plot line and they will have one minute to write the next element.  They submit them to the teacher and then the class votes on each of them.  Here are the four elements they create:

• In the first round the contestants make a character name and describe the character.
• In the second round they write what the character wants.
• In the third round they make up one or more obstacles the character will face.
• And for the final round they write a title and tagline for the movie.  

Once the four elements are done, the movie trailer can be read in a dramatic (and usually hilarious) fashion just for fun.  This process of creating a movie is repeated as many times as desired.  Generally it will take between 5 and 10 minutes for a class to create a movie once they are familiar with the process.

Details of each round:

• At the start of each movie the teacher will create a prompt by clicking on the Start button (1) as shown in the diagram below.  Remember that this happens only once per movie.  A random setting and character trait will be displayed (2).  Currently the game has 24 of each.

• Contestants will write an idea for the current element of the movie.  Their ideas are written on either a laptop, device or paper.  As summarized above, here's what they're writing each round:
• Round 1:  Using the random setting and character trait as a guide, contestants write a name for the character of the movie and something about him or her.  This would be brief, but with a hint of a movie trailer feel.  For example, a player might write, "Meet Duke.  He is a farmer with a gambling problem."  
• Round 2:  Based on the setting, character trait, name and information they now know, contestants will submit an idea for what the character wants.  Again, it is brief and in the style of a movie trailer.
• Round 3:  In this round, the contestants write one or more obstacles that the character will encounter as conflict in the quest to achieve the goal from round 2.
• Round 4:  Finally, contestants write a movie name and tagline that fits with the story they have developed through the previous three rounds.

• Contestants have one minute to write their idea for the current round.  The timer (3) can be used to mark the time.  The time limit is a general guideline.  If a student is still writing when time runs out, he or she can finish the idea.  Anyone who hasn't started by that time is out for the round.  

Important:  Remind students not to get so caught up in tying all the elements together that they forget the goal is to write something the class will pick.  In other words, in the second round a good idea doesn't necessarily have to be explicitly related to the setting, character trait and winning submission from round 1.  To do that would take a lot more time than the game allows.  Instead, the elements previously revealed and created provide a general working space and the students just have to come up with a good idea the class will like.  How closely they are related is up to their preference and that's all part of the fun and the creative process.

• When time is up or when they are done, contestants pass or send their ideas to the teacher.  See the notes below about sending responses if using laptops and devices.
• The teacher will then read each response aloud, but keep them anonymous.  
• The teacher also will transfer the responses to the text boxes (4) on the webpage.  This can be done while reading them or she might want to wait until all have been read.  The responses must still be kept anonymous, so the boxes (labeled A - E) are not used to identify any particular student at this point.  See the notes below for more information on transferring the responses.
• After the responses are posted or summarized in the boxes, have the class vote on their favorite.  Just send a multiple choice question with three to five (depending on the number of contestants) possible answers to the devices using your classroom response system.  If you aren't using a CRS, have the students vote by a show of hands.
• The response that gets the most votes earns the contestant who wrote it one point.  (But for the fourth round give the contestant who writes the chosen title and tagline two points.  The title and tagline is usually revealed at the climatic moment of any movie trailer so this should likewise build to an exciting conclusion for each movie.)  In case of a tie, have the entire class vote on just the tied responses.  Record the point(s) for the contestant who wrote the chosen idea in the score boxes (5) shown in the picture above.
• Copy the chosen idea into the element at the top of the webpage (6) according to the round/element that was just completed.  For example, after the first round the chosen idea will be copied into the text box labeled A character....  This is so the class and the contestants can be aware of the developing story.  It also reinforces that important description of the elements that make a great story.
• If you want a record of the game, use your favorite method to take a screen capture of the current prompt, responses and results.
• Clear out the five text boxes (labeled A - E).  (Just select each response in each text box and delete the contents.  Don't refresh the page because that will erase scores and the story information as well.)  
• Repeat rounds until the four elements of the movie are complete.  Read the four elements off like a movie trailer at this time.  
• When the movie is complete, clear out the four elements from the text boxes.
• Continue with the next movie (by clicking the Start button to get a new random setting and character trait) as time allows.  
• When the game is over (after some agreed upon number of movies) the contestant with the most points wins.  In case of a tie, all tied players win.

__________

Using Socrative for submitting contestant responses:
Socrative is a free, easy to use online service that is great for having students submit responses to the teacher using any laptop or device through a wireless network.  Since sites change frequently I don't want to list a step by step tutorial for using Socrative.  You can find all details at their site.  Here is the suggested method for using it with the Generic Creativity Game.

• Create an account on Socrative if you don't already have one.
• Click the Teacher Log In button in the upper right of the screen.  Sign in using your account information.  You will be given a room number.  
• Contestants must go to the Socrative site on their laptops or devices and click Student Log In.
• It will ask them for the room number, so tell them the number for your room.
• As you are playing the game, when it's time to accept responses from the contestants, click the Short Answer option on your screen.  It will send a "question" to the students allowing them to enter their response.
• Important:  When contestants are answering the questions, do not have your computer showing on the screen.  It can be too easy for the class to see who wrote which response since it displays them in order as soon as the contestants send them.  Show a different window on the screen or use the A/V mute or similar feature to "blank" your screen whenever you have Socrative showing on your computer.

A couple notes about posting responses on the screen:
If contestants are submitting via Socrative, it will be very easy for the teacher to copy and paste from that site into the text boxes in this game.  Just remember to "blank" your screen as you copy from Socrative so students don't have an idea of which student wrote which response.  (The responses display in order of when they were sent and it can be possible for them to determine who wrote which one.)

Typos, "texting" style writing or poor grammar can be cleaned up or left as is depending on what you feel is appropriate for the class.

Alternatively if contestants are writing the responses on paper, simply type a few key words from the responses in the text boxes so the class will remember each one.  This saves time rather than copying word for word from the paper.

Other ways to use this classroom game:

• Each round can be started at the end of class (or at another appropriate time) and all students can be required to turn in a response at a later time.  The teacher can select some of his or her favorites, then present those to the class for a vote.  The game would be played this way over several days throughout the course.  In this case a winner is not as important as the creative process and the elements of making a great story.
• Students can play in groups of four to six.  In this case, they'd use a laptop to access the Coming Soon Creativity Game page and create prompts.  All players but one (who plays a ) can write responses on paper and pass them to the Judge.  He or she reads them aloud, then picks a favorite.  The player who wrote it gets a point.
• Have groups of students create the trailers as videos after playing.  Students could use the trailer feature in iMovie on the iPad or any other video editing software to compile short video clips or photos.  Include the important elements of the story that developed in the game as text (and possibly narration).
• As mentioned at the start of this post, there's a party game version of the game that does not use technology.  If you want your class to play with that here is the link.  

This project is an ongoing work and I will be glad to hear any feedback on what worked, what didn't or what you'd need to see before you'd use it with your class.  I am also looking for educators interested in using this and other resources based on Donald Miller's work in class.  Please post any comments below or contact me directly by email if you have feedback or interest in the project.

I will greatly appreciate it if you share this resource on social networks or with other teachers.

Credits and usage:
Mike Petty created Coming Soon - The Creativity Game of Great Movie Trailers.  The prompt generator was made with Stencyl.  All graphics were created by Mike Petty.  If you use the prompt generator in any way, please keep it on the Coming Soon Creativity Game webpage.  That page and these rules for use were also created by Mike Petty.

Coming Soon is based on a creativity game system developed by Mike Petty and Kory Heath.  Kory first recognized the potential for an overall framework for games he and Mike were designing.  His team added several important elements to enhance the play experience.  His version is formalized as The Chicken Game System and I recommend it as one of the most entertaining social games ever created.

The description of a story as A character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it comes from Donald Miller's books Storyline and A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.  I recommend both as excellent tools for viewing one's life in terms of story and taking steps to live a more meaningful one.

Most sound effects used in the Classroom Creativity Game were created by Mike Petty.

Coming Soon - The Creativity Game of Great Movie Trailers copyright 2013 by Mike Petty.  These rules will be updated regularly.  The last significant update was posted 2/18/2013.

The Lifelong Learner Challenge

I've been inspired by Seth Godin's book, Poke the Box.  I am also enjoying much of what I'm finding in The Icarus Deception.  (I won a copy from Jeremy Statton's blog, Living Better Stories.)

In both books Godin repeatedly challenges the reader to get started, to make things and to keep getting better at making them.  I've been encouraged by the results as I try to put it into practice.  I share the ideas with teachers in the district where I work and I try to incorporate it into the lessons and presentations when I get a chance to teach or speak in the classroom.

I was thinking today of a Lifelong Learner Challenge based on some of the principles of the books.  I'd like to do this as a personal goal and to encourage (or require!) my students to do it is well.

The Lifelong Learner Challenge

Each week I will make at least one thing that is:

• New - It must be new to me and to the world--original.
• Good - It must be measured against a realistic, high standard.  (For students, this includes appropriate content standards.)
• Personal - Those who know me can see me--my style, unique preferences or personal experiences--in the work in some way.
• Helpful - It must be presented or published in some way so others can find it and benefit from it.

This challenge is currently a draft.  Once I am happy with it and practicing it I will put it on my Passion and Vision page.

If you do something similar or have suggestions I would love to hear them.

My list is inspired from Seth Godin's very challenging list in The Icarus Deception:


Six Daily Habits for Artists

• Sit alone; sit quietly.
• Learn something new without any apparent practical benefit.
• Ask individuals for bold feedback; ignore what you hear from the crowd.
• Spend time encouraging other artists.
• Teach, with the intent of making change.
• Ship something that you created.

My Attempt to Encourage Creativity - The Quadratic Formula Song (All Over 2a)

I'm working with a group of middle school students and I told them the final project for the class will be an educational music video.  They were not so sure they liked the idea of singing or being in a video.  In an effort to encourage them, I took the plunge and finished an idea I had been working on.  So here goes.

(The chord sheet for the Quadratic Formula song is here if you're interested.  If you perform this in class, I'd love to hear about it!)



It's not easy for me to play something like this for the students, but I wanted to take the step and encourage them to do something better.

I'm not sure if it looks like it, but the video itself took a long time to create.  We won't have time for something that complex in class, but I think they can do better at making a complete song as opposed to a short chorus like I wrote.

For anyone interested in the process, here's a rough outline of what I did and the software I used.

I knew I wanted to make a song about the quadratic formula.  I obviously didn't write any lyrics.  The formula was the chorus.

I used VoiceBand on my iPad to improvise a melody over a click track.  If it's not apparent, I don't sing that well and the pitch correction in VoiceBand helps me end up with something workable.

From there, I put it in UJam.  I was going to create the whole song in UJam and I might still do that.  When I saw some of the simple chords that came out of one version, though, I realized I could play that on guitar.  I changed what UJam gave me for chords.  I also played around with the melody and rhythm quite a bit after that initial idea.

I programmed the bass, drums and a simple guitar part in the GarageBand app on my iPad.  I recorded my actual guitar using the iRig guitar adapter.  I recorded the vocals (including the spoken part) with the iRig Mic Cast.

To polish the vocals a little more I used GSnap in Audacity for pitch correction.

The song was not done at this point, but I had an idea of how I wanted it to flow.  I started gathering video. Almost all of the video was created or captured with my iPad.  For the stop motion segment in the middle I used Stop Animator.  For the other animated sequences I used DoodleCast Pro.  There's also a short segment of a screen capture where I grabbed the Daum Equation Editor using Screencast-o-matic.com.

I couldn't get a good mix of the audio on the iPad, so I exported each track and converted them to .wav format using Zamzar.com.  I brought them into my very old version of Music Creator.  I'm sure an updated version would do a lot more, but I just use my old version because it lets me split, copy and paste right on the beats of the song.  I could do this on the iPad or the MacBook with GarageBand, but I'm used to years of playing around with Music Creator.

I'm not a sound engineer by any stretch, but after getting a mix I could live with, it was time to tackle the video editing.

I used iMovie on my daughters MacBook to add a few effects to the clips of me playing the guitar.  Other than those, all the video was done in Corel VideoStudio.  As I wrote previously, I was unhappy with Corel's customer service awhile back, but I do still love that video editing software.  I am always amazed at the level of control and effects that I can achieve for relatively little cost and effort.

When it's all said and done, it took way longer than I hoped (easily over 20 hours, but I lost count) and it's far from perfect.  I am happy with it as a first effort and I look forward to seeing how it encourages my students.

Creativity Exercise for Creative Writing: A game about making stories for movies

I'm really excited about this project.  Here's a draft of the rules and components for a creativity exercise in the style of other games I have posted.  In this one players develop short movie trailers as they explore what makes a powerful story.

Right now the game is low tech.  Three to five players will play in a social/party game format.  We have had a lot of fun with it in testing and I will be glad to hear any feedback on the rules or how the game plays.

In this game, a story is summed up as a character who wants something and overcomes obstacles to get it.  Players create each element of that simple definition and then they make a title and tagline for their movie.  Since it develops a step at a time and it's only a rough outline, it plays out with the fun and hints of action or drama like a great movie trailer ending with the movie title and tagline.

As an example, here's how Star Wars might look in the game:

Luke works on a farm on a desert planet.

He longs for adventure and a part in the galactic battle for freedom.

His uncle wants him home, he’s untrained and his dream seems like a boy’s fantasy.

Star Wars - May the force be with you

Because of how the story is created by the players during the game, the movies usually end up being humorous in nature.  It's makes for a very fun exercise that reinforces the key elements of all great stories.

My plan is to make an online version like my Classroom Creativity Game.  Furthermore, it will be an activity in the lesson plans I am developing based on Donald Miller's Storyline book and conference.  Through it, students learn to view their lives as stories and clarify their passion and purpose.

Addressing the Creativity Crisis in Education - What I'll do differently in the new semester

I came across a couple blog posts this morning that got me thinking about the upcoming semester.  It starts tomorrow.  What will I do differently from day one?

The first blog (posted on the Des Moines Register Staff Blog) raised the question of whether our students' lack of creativity is a problem.  It cites some test results that indicate creativity has been in a steady decline since 1990.  

As I have written previously, the focus on standardized tests and a right answer has sucked a lot of creativity out of the classroom.  While a lack of creativity in our youth is an obvious problem for them and us in the future, I believe much of the lack of engagement we see in students now can also be attributed to this.  Yes, less creative workforce ten years from now is bad, but when it comes to learning now, creativity is the oil in the machine.  Without it, the system grinds to a boring halt.

Can I take this opportunity post that picture I put up last spring?  I think it fits:

I am tired of the credit machine.  Do this assignment and get credit.  Get enough right answers on this quiz, then this test and then this exam and you get credit.  Get enough credit and you get out of here.  It is a boring game and it's no wonder that at an earlier and earlier age we see them refusing to play.

So what will I do differently this semester?

• I am going to focus on creating things.  I want students to remember they can create.  It is rewarding to create.
• I am going to remind them that we need them to create.  The joy they find in it now is a hint that they were made for it.  They can make something that can meet a need for someone else.  What they create matters.
• I will continue to model creativity and learning.  What important things have I learned that I'm excited about?  What have I created that makes a contribution?  I will share those things with my students.
• I will present the learning objectives in a way that their value is obvious.

That last point deviates from my focus on creativity, but it brings me to the second blog post I read today.  It was from David Warlick-- the Essence of Authentic Learning.  He states that when authentic learning takes place the value of what is learned is obvious to the learner.

So that's my focus this semester:  Valuable learning objectives and lots of opportunity for creativity

Fast, Simple Video for the Classroom - Drive and WeVideo

I can't remember how I came across this, but I saw a post recently that pointed out the Google Drive iPad app will take photos and video directly from the camera.  I didn't notice that before, but it makes for some quick, easy video capture from the iPad and transfer to a computer.

To go directly to Drive, it's this easy from the + symbol in the Drive app...

Then on a computer, work with the WeVideo Chrome app to edit.  It's going to be best with short clips or just still pictures since it can take some time to upload to Drive.  And WeVideo can be a little slow on uploads and previews too, but it's so easy to pull the clips and photos directly from Drive.  It's great to have all these tools integrated so there's no need for cables or SD cards.

The themes in WeVideo are fun and I like the tone they give a video, much like Instagram or Aviary will give a photo.

Here's an example I made after just taking some quick clips and pictures of my game collection.  The music and old film effects are all part of the theme.  I imagine this as a great classroom project where a student reads her poetry or reflective writing over some appropriate images.  (And I just learned the embed code from a video shared from Drive can be found in the File menu when you open the video.)


(Click here if the embedded video from Drive isn't working on your device.)

And since WeVideo is working from Drive the project can be shared in the editing process.  It's a good time to be alive!

I've got some classes starting next week where I will give this a try with students.

Helping Students Live Better Stories - A review and thoughts for lessons based on Donald Miller's Storyline

I can’t say enough good about Storyline by Donald Miller.  It's not too much to say it has been life changing and I am working on ways to integrate the principles with classroom activities.  

I’ll elaborate on the book, in the way of a review, before addressing those activities at the end of this post.

I've been a fan of Donald Miller's books for about four years now.  I started with Blue Like Jazz since that was the one everyone was talking about.  It was Searching for God Knows What that really caught my attention, though.  I read it the summer before a job change pulled me from the high school classroom and I found myself working with professionals at all levels in the school district.  The book was very timely and it changed the way I saw the purpose of my work.

Our Lives as Stories

Recently one of the themes of Miller's writing has been that the things that make great stories also make for more meaningful lives.  He tells how he came upon those truths in A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.  That book was a birthday gift the year I turned forty.  Once again his thoughts were timely.  I read it again a few months ago and I found it even more helpful the second time through.

Miller started doing Storyline conferences a couple years ago.  Over the course of a few days attendees work through a process of viewing their lives as part of a larger story.  He also draws heavily from Viktor Frankl's logotherapy--a "therapeutic process" based on the idea that humans are not so much seeking pleasure or power, but meaning.  

As for the power of stories, there’s nothing terribly fresh there.  From our PowerPoint presentations to our company websites, we have been told that a strong story speaks to the heart.  But the beauty of Storyline is how Miller combines the essence of a great story (a character who wants something and overcomes obstacles to get it) and this idea that we can find meaning in suffering into a simple process that infuses those potent ideas into one’s daily choices.  

Much of Miller’s other writing actually speaks against any X-step process for self-help, so I don’t want to make this sound easy to actually live out.  It’s not.  It is easy to see the truth he is onto, though, and I will personally attest to it's potential for making vital change..

The Book

Near the end of 2012 Storyline was published as a stand alone workbook for the process he presented at the conferences.  The book was, again,a gift for my birthday.  Even with all the space for recording the exercises it is a short book of less than 100 pages, but it took about six weeks for me to read it through.  I still have not completed all the exercises even as a draft yet, but I have made enough progress to greatly appreciate the message he’s telling.

It bears mentioning that Miller's writing is always unashamedly Christian.  When he talks about finding your story in the scheme of God’s larger story he refers repeatedly to the Bible.  That might turn some away, but his good intentions are always clear.  From his books to his blog and his speaking (and even his film), I've never heard anyone outside of the faith accuse him of being offensive in his approach.  I'm sure people of all faiths and even those who would claim none have found some benefit to the ideas he presents in the Storyline book and conferences.

The Storyline process starts by reflecting on the positive and negative turns throughout one’s life.  These are the events that forever changed the way the reader sees himself or life.  From there the task is to identify a life theme which encompasses where one fits in the overall story.  According to Miller, we all fit in God’s story of saving many lives.  For example, my own theme (which will likely be rephrased over time) is “always teaching, always learning”.  (It took about two minutes to realize if I'm going to do anything important it will have to happen through my work in education. I remain hopeful.)

It is the next step that I found most helpful so far.  Drawing from logotherapy, the reader is encouraged to find ways in which God can redeem the negative turns in life by working through them to help others.  This is a deeply personal affair beyond the scope of my usual work on this blog, but the activities opened my eyes in ways nothing else has. I have found and been motivated by a renewed sense of purpose in the weeks since I have started working through the book.

In the remaining chapters we get back to what makes a better story also makes a better life.  Roles are identified (spiritual being, parent, co-worker, etc.) and within each of those roles the reader makes some clear plans.  This is all phrased within the concept of story--ambitions, inciting incidents and climatic scenes.  While I have only finished a few stages of this for a couple of my identified roles, I love the approach.  As Miller claims, the process leads to clarity and there is a deep sense of satisfaction in taking steps toward those climactic scenes.

Besides just the book and the conference there is a website devoted to the process-MySubplot.com.  Users can create an account there and track their stories with the simple organizational tools.  Some social network features also allow for comments and sharing if one chooses to make their profile public.

After finishing the book and seeing the benefit of the exercises I bought copies for a few family members. My wife is working through the book now too and, while it can be painful at times, she agrees it is a valuable experience.  

Plans for the Classroom

Another teacher, a friend of my parents, found the book at their house while we were visiting.  Having devoted much of his life to middle school students through P.E. and English classes and his passion of coaching wrestling, he was amazed by the content of Storyline.  Page after page he was taken back at how Miller was putting into words the things he felt for decades.  

That experience confirmed my plans for me the need to develop some classroom activities based on the book.  It will take more time than I’d like to try this out because I do not have my own classes.  As with most of my work, I have to wait until I find another teacher who is able to fit my ideas into her plans.  Just last week I arranged something (at some unspecified time in the future) with a middle school Language Arts teacher.  She sees the value of my ideas in terms of educational standards we can cover, but she also knows it goes beyond subject matter and test scores.  It’s about reaching young people.  

She already planned to do a journal project along the lines of Erin Gruwell’s work with The Freedom Writers Foundation.  We agreed it should be easy to to integrate the Storyline concepts within that and I am very excited to see where it leads.

Obviously, since I work in the public schools I plan to rephrase a lot of the Storyline content so that it doesn’t sound like I'm teaching Sunday school.  In the past when I work in classes that involve personal reflection or lessons about success it has been my practice to make it clear students can express their religious beliefs or matters of faith.  I don't require this of course, but at the same time it seems like a shame to leave a vital part of the human experience out of the picture.  From what I’ve seen in their work, many have been grateful for the opportunity to openly express themselves. 

(Almost all students have been positive about my sometimes deeply introspective assignments.  I’ve received many thanks from some for the work I’ve done.  I find it’s still hard for me to reach those guys coming from Auto Mechanics at the Skill Center, though.  I get no hate from them, but I have accepted we come at life from very different paths.)

As for the classroom activiites, here is the basic outline of what I want to cover in the classroom:

• What makes a good story? - Through discussion and other activities, we’ll determine which elements are present in the most popular books and movies.
• Viewing our lives as stories, what would be the theme?  - I will probably bring in the Three Movie Exercise (See step 2 of this blog post.) I often use when we talk about our passions.
• If our stories are about helping others, who do we think we could help?  - Here is where I want to bring out the idea of finding a redemptive purpose in our suffering.  I plan to talk about logotherapy to some extent and it is here that we can tie in the Freedom Writers and Anne Frank’s story.
• What are our ambitions and what steps can we take to realize them? - Students will set goals, some of which they can achieve by the end of the school year.  
• How can we tell our stories? - I’m most excited about how we will use blogs, podcasts and video to present the results of our work so others can be inspired to do the same.

From the educational standpoint, the reading, writing and presentation skills involved in each stage will be very beneficial.  We’ll have no trouble covering the bases as far as content standards go.  I’m also confident that students will be motivated to complete the work simply because it connects with their lives in a way that most school work does not.  And beyond our own classroom, as we perfect the project I look forward to presenting results that can inspire other students and teachers.

Obviously this is just a plan at this point, but it’s probably also apparent it is part of my own exercise in the Storyline process.  I am very grateful for Miller’s work with Storyline as it has opened my eyes to a potential blending of my work with technology, education and my passion to help others reach their potential.  I will continue to mark my progress here as I see the results.

What if fiction is the junk food of the soul?

What if we were made to live exciting lives?  What if we were made to experience positive change and to make a difference?  What if our desire for good to win and the hero to overcome is planted in us so we would help others to live better lives too?

But what if we have lessened those longings by filling up on false stories in the same way a bowl of ice cream could allow me to care less for a nutritious meal?

I'm not saying false stories--fiction--is bad.  I like stories that were made up.  I grew up on them.  But I'm saying what if we could fill up on fiction too much?  If we eat too much junk food we can see the unhealthy results.  What would a world look like if the good passions of our souls were tempered by fluff instead of what would truly nourish?  What unhealthy outcomes would we see?

I got excited this week when a colleague caught a glimpse of what has inspired me for almost a year now.  I actually lost some sleep dreaming about what we could do.  We're still working on the plans, so there's no sense in going into details now.  Here's a story that inspired us both though.  It's one many of us have heard, but I liked hearing it fully in Erin Gruwell's own words. Real stories making a real difference.

Doodlecast App for Video Lessons

I have been using Explain Everything for my video lessons on this site, but last week I discovered Doodlecast.  It was free for a limited time and now I see it's still on sale for only $0.99.  I haven't had a chance yet to do a full lesson with it, but I really like what I see so far.

As I mentioned in my review for Explain Everything, that's a great app but I really wanted something that allowed for editing the recording itself.  Doodlecast appears to offer that to at least some extent.  I've tested the feature in a limited way so far and I was able to stop the recording, trim some of the end off and then continue recording from that place.

It also has a pointer for use when presenting, though not with as many options as Explain Everything.

So right now I can't say for sure I'll prefer Doodlecast over Explain Everything, but for this low price I wanted to at least pass the information along.  If you get a chance to try it, I'd love to hear what you think.

A Time for Teachers to Just Sit Back and Be Quiet

Someone told me in my first year of teaching that the person working the hardest in the classroom is probably learning the most.  I keep forgetting that.

I finished up a problem solving unit last week with Amy Martin.  She's the intervention specialist in our district and we worked together at the middle school.  I was helping her by providing some virtual models to aid the students as they worked through problems.  I think I ended up learning more than Amy did though.

I learned when to stop "teaching".  We presented the problems and the students started working on them.  Sometimes they needed encouragement, but my tendency was to direct them too much.  Amy had inhuman restraint, though, and she kept telling me to be quiet.  It was amazing watching the small group of students work together, get off track, then back on and eventually come to a solution.

I learned that I probably never gave my students enough time to really work through a problem.  I remember times over the years when I tried, but I always rescued them too soon.  Or maybe I'd set up the whole activity in a way that it was too easy for another student to rescue them.

I learned so much working with Amy and I was so encouraged by our students' effort that we will be doing more of this in the upcoming semester.  I hope to compile our resource and post some models here.  For now, here are some pictures illustrating the teacher and students' roles in problem solving.  The students should be working the hardest!

And here's the poster she wanted me to make for her room.  I used the meme generator in the Aviary app:

What I learned in education in 2012

2012 was a good year for a lot of progress in ed-tech in the district where I work.  More teachers are getting it.  We had more video projects, iPads and flipped teaching than ever.  We even started using Google Apps for Education at our middle school.

Here are the things I learned and related posts for each:

• Video game design integrates perfectly with science at the middle school level.
• Creativity exercises are fun and popular!  Teachers always ask me back and my most visited posts by far are the ones based on the exercises and games I created.
• In fact, I'm convinced creativity is the oil in the education machine.  Without it, the system grinds to a halt by high school.  With it, students are engaged and more willing to work through problems.
• Every class can be taught within the framework of creative problem solving and the students buy in.
• Poke the Box is a great book that had a huge impact on me.  My first attempts at computer (Flash) game programming are a direct result.  See What's It to Ya?, Pegged and Factor Duel.
• Instructing with video is very effective.  It makes me a better teacher too as I have to focus on my presentation so much more as I record and edit.

All things considered, the Classroom Creativity Game sums up most of what I learned this year.  From my video lessons (created with Explain Everything) about the related presentation to the creation of the generic, versatile webpage itself, I'm excited to hear feedback and improve the resource over the upcoming months.

Creativity Exercise - The Classroom Creativity Game

Want to infuse more creativity and passion into your classroom? From now until December 12, 2015, you can get a free copy of my Teaching Like an Artist reflection journal. I'm giving away two free paperback editions too. Click here to visit my Teaching Like an Artist blog for information.

These are the directions and credits for my culminating work of 2012 that is both a highly entertaining classroom activity and creativity exercise.  The Classroom Creativity Game can be accessed through the main menu at the top of any page on this blog.

Over the course of a couple years I made several creativity activities for the classroom based on creativity games that I developed with game designer Kory Heath.  You can read about them, how they're played and the related creativity exercises on this page.

Recently I compiled all of those concepts into a single webpage that contains a prompt generator and other features that allow the game to work on virtually any computer that runs Flash.

This project is an ongoing work and I will be glad to hear any feedback on what worked, what didn't or what you'd need to see before you'd use it with your class.  Also I am interested in suggestions for nouns to include in the generator.  Please post any comments below or contact me directly by email if you have feedback.

Here are the directions for using the generator and playing these very entertaining games with a class.

Overview:
Three to five creative students compete to make the best responses to random prompts.  Prompts are created in different ways each round, but generally contestants will provide humorous responses and the rest of the class will vote on their favorites.  (See this page or this video for more details.)

What you will need to play:
(As indicated below, some components can be adapted for available technology in your classroom and another way to use the generator is listed at the end of these directions.)

• A teacher computer that can access the Classroom Creativity Game webpage
• A projector connected to the teacher computer
• A way for 3 - 5 contestants to record their responses - Ideally these will be laptops or other devices in a wireless network, but contestants can just use pencil and paper.
• A way for the class to vote on the contestants' responses - Any classroom response system will work for this as long as you can take a vote from all students.  If a CRS is not available a simple show of hands can suffice.

Preparation:

• Go to the Classroom Creativity Game webpage and project it at the front of the room.
• Choose three to five creative students to be the contestants.
• Have the contestants sit at the front of the class, but so they can easily see the webpage projected on the screen/board.
• If using laptops or other devices, to record responses, use the Socrative site to create a room and have students join it.  See below for more details on this site.
• If contestants are just recording responses on paper, make sure each one has a sheet of paper and a pencil.
• Give other students in the classroom a voting device if using a classroom response system for their votes.

Steps for each round:

• Create a prompt by clicking one of the prompt buttons (1) as shown in the diagram below.  Each icon creates a different type of prompt and they are explained in detail below.  You can select the same type of prompt for the entire game or you can vary it from round to round.  If the prompt is too hard for your class or if they just don't like it, click the button again for a different one if you feel it's appropriate.

• After you click the prompt button a prompt will display to the left (2) as shown above.
• Contestants will read the prompt and write a response (on a laptop, device or paper) according to the rules for that type of prompt as described below.  
• Contestants send or pass the responses to the teacher.  You can set a time limit for students to complete their answers (two minutes is suggested) or you can determine the time based on the needs of your students and the activity.  See the notes below about sending responses if using laptops and devices.
• When time is up or when they are done, the teacher will then read each response, but keep them anonymous.  
• The teacher also will transfer the responses to the text boxes (3).  This can be done while reading them or you might want to wait until all have been read.  The responses must still be kept anonymous, so the boxes (labeled A - E) are not used to identify any particular student at this point.  See the notes below for more information on transferring the responses.
• When reading responses you can use the sound effect buttons (4) to add laughs, a rim-shot or groans as appropriate.  Don't overdo this, but it can be fun for particularly good or not so good responses!
• After the responses are posted or summarized, have the class vote on their favorite.  Just send a multiple choice question with five possible answers to the devices using your classroom response system.  If you aren't using a CRS, have the students vote by a show of hands.
• The response that gets the most votes earns the contestant who wrote it two points.  The writer of the second place response gets one point.  In case of a tie, all tied players get the points (two for first place, one for second).  Record those points accordingly in the score boxes (5) indicated above.
• If you want a record of the game, use your favorite method to take a screen capture of the current prompt, responses and results.
• Clear out the text boxes after scores are recorded.  (Just select each response in each text box and delete the contents.  Don't refresh the page because that will erase scores as well.)  
• Repeat rounds as you like.  Usually three to five rounds are sufficient, but you can adjust this based on the needs of your class.  The player(s) with the highest score wins at the end of the game.

__________

Descriptions of the prompts and required responses:
The creativity generated during this activity stems from the power of pairing random, unrelated items.  It is the heart of the creativity exercises and presentation I share with students before we play.  Here are some brief notes about the different prompts and the responses that would result.

Why Did the Chicken...?

When you click this button you will get a random riddle consisting of a question format (such as "What do you get if you cross____with____?").  Two random nouns will be inserted in the blanks.  Contestants have to write a humorous response to the riddle.

Why Did the Chicken...? Mythology Edition

My mythology games have been popular, so I added a list of heroes and items from Greek mythology.  This button creates a riddle prompt just like the regular Why Did the Chicken...? game, but one of the two random nouns will be related to mythology.  Most of the fun of this style comes from pairing the real world with the fanciful items or heroes.  As above, contestants write a humorous answer to the riddle.

The Haiku Game

For this prompt the students will be presented with two random nouns (currently from the same pool as the Why Did the Chicken...? game).  Their task is to write a haiku involving the two nouns in some way.  This can be challenging, but it is a very good exercise for the right group of students.

The Haiku Game - Mythology Edition

As the name implies, this is the same as the Haiku Game, but with both nouns from the mythology list.


Abe & Einstein

For this prompt, students will be presented with two random people or characters.  They must write a response consisting of what those two people would say if they just met.  They can use initials of the people to indicate who said what.  (Like L: "Hi, Al!" if Abraham Lincoln said that line.)  The responses should be brief and funny.  There's no need to write a full conversation.

__________

Using Socrative for submitting contestant responses:
Socrative is a free, easy to use online service that is great for having students submit responses to the teacher using any laptop or device through a wireless network.  Since sites change rapidly I don't want to list a step by step tutorial for using Socrative.  You can find all details at their site.  Here is the suggested method for using it with the Generic Creativity Game.

• Create an account on Socrative if you don't already have one.
• Click the Teacher Log In button in the upper right of the screen.  Sign in using your account information.  You will be given a room number.  
• Contestants must go to the Socrative site on their laptops or devices and click Student Log In.
• It will ask them for the room number, so tell them the number for your room.
• As you are playing the game, when it's time to accept responses from the contestants, click the Short Answer option on your screen.  It will send a "question" to the students allowing them to enter their response.
• Important:  When contestants are answering the questions, do not have your computer showing on the screen.  It can be too easy for the class to see who wrote which response since it displays them in order as soon as the contestants send them.  Show a different window on the screen or use the A/V mute or similar feature to "blank" your screen if you have Socrative showing on your computer.

A couple notes about posting responses on the screen:
If contestants are submitting via Socrative, copying and pasting from that site into the text boxes on the Generic Creativity Game page it is a very easy option.  Just remember you should "blank" your screen as you copy from Socrative so students don't have an idea of which student wrote what.  (The responses display in order of when they were sent and it can be possible for them to determine who wrote which one.)

Typos, "texting" style writing or poor grammar can be cleaned up or left as is depending on what you feel is appropriate for the class.

Alternatively if contestants are writing the responses on paper, simply type a few key words from the responses in the text boxes so the class will remember each one.  This saves time rather than copying word for word from the paper.

Other ways to use the prompt generator:

• Prompts can be generated at the end of class (or at another appropriate time) and all students can be required to turn in a response.  The teacher can select some of his or her favorites, then present them to the class for a vote.
• Students can play in groups of four to six.  In this case, they'd use a laptop to access the Generic Creativity Game page and create prompts.  All players but one (the Judge) can write responses on paper and pass them to the Judge.  He or she reads them aloud, then picks a favorite.  The player that wrote it gets a point.

Credits and usage:
Mike Petty created the Classroom Creativity Game.  The prompt generator was made with Stencyl.  All graphics were created by Mike Petty.  If you use the prompt generator in any way, please keep it on the Classroom Creativity Game webpage.  That page and these rules for use were also created by Mike Petty.

The Classroom Creativity Game is based on a creativity game system developed by Mike Petty and Kory Heath.  Kory first recognized the potential for an overall framework for games he and Mike were designing.  His team added several important elements to enhance the play experience.  His version is formalized as The Chicken Game System and I recommend it as one of the most entertaining social games ever created.

Why Did the Chicken...? was created by Kory Heath.  You can read all about the game in this post.

Most sound effects used in the Classroom Creativity Game were downloaded from FreeSound.org.  Most of those were in the public domain, but I did use a rim-shot sound posted there by Simon_Lacelle.

The Classroom Creativity Game copyright 2012 by Mike Petty.  These rules will be updated regularly.  The last significant update was posted 12/30/2012.

Example for Problem Solving in Math Class

I am doing a problem solving activity in a middle school classroom and I came across this video that I made in 2007.  I had completely forgotten about it!  

In this case, I had two ambitious students who did all the recording for me. I compiled the clips and then wrote a script. They did the narration and I put it together.

 I think this would make an excellent classroom project, but the editing was more time consuming than most teachers will be able to accommodate.  One solution would be to divide the work between a math class and a video production or ELA class.

My only other advice is to plan ahead of time how much you'll include (how many people, how much of their solutions or attempts).  Otherwise editing can take a long time as you figure out the direction based on all the video you've recorded.



I used to use this in class by stopping as soon as the problem is displayed.  After students had time to think about a solution I would play the rest.  A lot of the fun comes from the fact that they knew the students and teachers, but some have told me this will still be useful in their classes.