The Schoenblog

Schools are complicated systems. With so many moving parts, there’s bound to be some conflict. But hopefully, all of the parts of moving in the same direction. Ideally, all of our inputs are moving efficiently.

When we discuss efficiency, we’re really looking at the ratio of inputs to outputs: is the work paying off? What is the return on investment for the hard work we do in the complicated world of schools?

More and more, I’m finding that my perspective is changing with the many hats I’m wearing: teacher, instructional coach, tech coach, administrative intern, doctoral student, and more. I'm in the classroom every day but can't help but look towards the big picture, too.

This week, we finally started developing our #GeniusHour plans in English 10. From last year’s open exploration to this year’s #GenreGenius, the design of this study has evolved. I described our initial ideas in Genre Genius: Our Evolving #GeniusHour Plans, but the basic idea is that students will investigate a literary genre. They will read a range of long, short, and scholarly texts, add in media texts, explore tropes and foundations of the genre, and then synthesize their learning to create something.

Right away, students were interested, forming plans to make a horror movie, write stories, and read from a range of genres. What they read and what they make is totally up to them. Mythology, fantasy, science fiction, and mysteries were popular choices, with some interest in romance, diaries, history, and horror. I’m excited by my students’ choices and passion

We started our study with some brief research investigating their genre choices and creating blogs. I’ve always had students blog throughout #GeniusHour, but wanted to rethink my purpose and goals this year. Today, students completed their first blog posts and turned in links to their blogs on a form. Find them below--we would love your comments and ideas.

When introducing the idea of blogging, I was eager to start with the why. I wanted to show students why and how blogging would be valuable for this project. I had intended always intended to do more blogging in class this year, but it was a goal that never materialized. I wanted to use social media as an authentic way to get started, but wanted a solid plan and purpose, first. I decided to stick with Blogger again this year; it’s simple and Google. Students were set up with blogs in minutes, and there was little learning curve. I made sure to give them time to play, explore, and customize so that had ownership over their work and genius.

Why Blog in #GeniusHour?

In this class we learn together, but with Genius Hour, we will learn with the world. Share your genius, I explained. Instead of turning work in for me or each other, we will publish for the world.

And it all came back to the why: Writing is better with an authentic audience. Writing and collaboration is essential for growth. Becoming a genius takes thought & reflection. All of us are smarter than one of us.

For the first post, students reflected on their passion for their selected genres. Why do you like it? What appeals to you? Share your passion with the reader.

Moving forward, I’ll ask students to respond to one another, to provide suggestions for reading and investigation, and to share their work with the world. We will follow and connect with authors and creators on social media, too, to continue to find new and authentic ways to learn. In the next post, students will research and report back on the influences of their genres. Who are the seminal authors or creators? How did it get started? How has it impacted modern day storytelling?

As my students begin to answer these questions and explore the literature, we will be looking for feedback from real audiences, and I’ll be asking for your feedback, too. Right now the blogs are new, and like good learning, they’re a little messy. But you can find them all below. We would love your comments, recommendations, and ideas to help my students develop their genius.

How do you use blogging with students? What is your why for blogs and passion in the classroom? Please share your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter @MrSchoenbart.

Learning is uncomfortable. When you’re the teacher, that’s sometimes too easy to forget. We design lessons that we think are meaningful and engaging, we work hard to reach out students, and we spend so much time planning and thinking about our classrooms and schools. But we also have to realize that in each any every decision we make, we are asking our students to take risks, to explore the unknown, and to be uncomfortable.

We need to get more comfortable with being uncomfortable--all of us: administrators, teachers, and students. The world and education are changing in ways that force us to recognize and embrace the discomfort, too; for example, there’s simply too much knowledge and too much access for anyone to know everything. That’s a realization that’s powerful and necessary--we can’t assume, or pretend, to know it all. Like our students, we have to be vulnerable and accept discomfort.

Image from http://twobookaddicts.blogspot.com

In addition to good lessons we have to build empathy machines, and systems that empower students to take risks and to be okay with failure as a necessary step on the learning journey. We need to work together to help our students, and each other, do more.

These are some of the big ideas that I took away from #EdcampSummitPNJ. I spent the weekend connecting and learning with so many wonderful educators. A lot of the conversations focused on the impact and variety of Edcamps, like for school districts and for students. Many also explored how schools and learning are changing. A common thread throughout was the need for empathy throughout our schools.

And in the best way, I was uncomfortable in my learning, too.

Always great to learn with the #EdJusticeLeague - @MrSchoenbart @AJBianco #edcampsummitpnj #njed#Arrow #Batman #Superman pic.twitter.com/Y7oQ2FMQwe

— Christopher J. Nesi (@mrnesi) March 13, 2017

#EdCamp journey #EdCampSummitPNJ #whyiedcamp #becauseofEdCamp @EdcampUSA @edcampurban @hadleyjf @TheConnectedEdu @wkrakower @MrSchoenbart pic.twitter.com/7eIxKbhY3r

— bibiana prada (@bookgirl614) March 12, 2017

Over the past few months, my paper-limited classroom has been changing. For a while, I resisted the copy machine and only used paper when it was more effective than technology. And that definitely happened sometimes.

I’m lucky to work with a close friend in my English 9 classes, and in our collaboration my vision for technology’s use is sometimes challenged--as it should be. I have to justify my instructional choices more often, and really think about how any why we’re using technology, paper, or any other resource. That colleague (Hi, Katie!) pointed out that in our collaboration, I’ve been using a lot more paper and copies in my classroom; we’ve probably made more copies this month than I have in the past year.

And that’s okay. Paper on it’s own isn’t inherently good or bad. It’s just a tool to communicate and demonstrate learning. Paper’s easy, quick, and plentiful, but it’s also an old medium that can’t always solve new problems in the way that technology might be able to.

In the past, and in other classes, all of our class resources are online, some are printed, and students often have the option of taking notes by hand or online. All assignments are submitted electronically on Google Classroom. This year, we are still using the technology all the time, submitting work, collaborating, and creating, but a lot of the more traditional instruction is moving away from the screen and towards paper.

Reflecting on these choices has led me to wonder why paper has been more effective that technology with my freshmen this year, and to reexamine Paper in the Digital Age: Considering the Pros, Problems, and Power of Paper to explore new reasons when and why the pen and paper make all the difference.

3 Reasons I’m Using Paper in My Classroom This Year

1. Technology Distracts My Freshmen!

I like to describe my freshmen as adorable puppies--they are fun, sweet, and loyal. But they also have awful attention spans. They’re distracted by the drop of a pin or a sneeze, let alone a bright screen and the power of the internet. This year, my freshmen are more and more distracted by the power of technology that it often takes away from the learning experience.

2. Technology Takes Too Much Time

We’re a 1:1 Chromebook classroom but not a 1:1 school; this means that our Chromebooks live in a cart and need to be taken in and out each day. With a well organized class, this just takes a few minutes. Every minute away from instruction matters, but the Chromebook movement can be quick. This year, it’s just not. We’re slow. Again, we’re distracted. And time packing up and plugging in Chromebooks is time away from instruction and learning.

3. Paper Demonstrates More Learning

In English 9, the students are learning the foundations of literary analysis and writing. This involves a lot of scaffolding and outlining as we build to more formal and summative writing. My students are fine writers when it comes time to putting their words together, but the brainstorming, outlining, and drafting process is more productive for most of my students on paper. Maybe it’s indicative of the distraction and time, or maybe it’s an actual processing difference with technology; maybe it’s something else entirely. The bottom line is that the process work is better on paper.

Paperless Power

I’ll never stop a student from taking notes or working on process work by hand. But digital tools help us do more than paper ever could. They provide a permanence to our work and lets learning exist everywhere at once through sharing and collaboration. But it’s important to teach students how to demonstrate their learning in new ways and to manage these tools.

Most of my challenges here aren’t really technology issues, they’re management issues. How can I improve classroom management with these students to improve their efficiency and accountability when working online? How can I make more effective use of the powerful tools in my classroom? It’s not about paper or about the technology alone--and never really should be--it’s about the learning and the students.

How do you make the choice between paper and digital in your classroom? When is paper most appropriate? Share your ideas in the comments or on Twitter @MrSchoenbart.

My favorite technology tools have a powerful impact on student learning and make life easier for teachers and students. And more often than not, they’re usually free.

I’m a big proponent of free edtech; as a classroom teacher I don’t have money to spend and it’s hard to get the wheels of district bureaucracy turning for new purchases. I’m lucky to be in a position where I’m involved in these conversations and often get to pilot and train teachers in tools like Pear Deck and Scrible, but more and more I’m finding the need of paying for value.

Free is great. I can get on board with the ever-growing freemium models. I’m totally fine with paying for a worthwhile product, too.

But my frustration occurs when a product shifts along that continuum. What happens when a free product turns paid? Or when features are restricted on a freemium model? I’ve come to reasonably trust many of these companies, but am finding more and more that free edtech isn’t a sustainable or realistic option, at least not when planning beyond the now.