Plagiarism

Image stolen from Mike Reading who borrowed it from Flickr where it was placed by somebody.

Plagiarism. There, I said it.

It’s not a new problem in schools. In fact, in the late 90s I can remember checking work that teachers thought were suspicious. 9/10 of them were. And what I did - simple searches online – must have seemed liked magic in those early days.

Flash forward and we are used to using tools such as TurnItIn in tertiary environments, and we all know about All My Own Work (or should).

Yet what is the system at your school? 

How would your school respond to the following questions?

• How many students plagiarise?
• Why do students plagiarise?
• How many get away with plagiarising?
• What policies and procedures are in place to deal with plagiarising?
• Are they effective and enforced in an even way? 
• When students are caught plagiarising, what are the consequences?
• Are all HSC issues recorded in the BOSTEST malpractice register?

My hunch is that the average high school:

• Has many students who plagiarise
• Who plagiarise because they can without fear of consequences because...
• They almost always get away with it because...
• There are no or minimal policies and procedures to deal with plagiarism or...
• They are ineffective and rarely enforced and...
• When they are caught there are minimal consequences and...
• Little record of these incidents are formally kept

As Mike Reading pointed out in a recent blog post noted that “a[n] ethics survey in 2010 looking at student cheating found the following: 

Rampant cheating in school continues. A majority of students (59 percent) admitted cheating on a test during the last year, with 34 percent doing it more than two times. One in three admitted they used the Internet to plagiarize an assignment.”

And yet, as Mike points out, teaching students about copyright and ownership in the Australian Curriculum starts in Kindergarten! 

Mike goes on to point out some tools that can assist teachers. I've used a few myself. However I think the best six tools for teachers to combat are:

• Well defined policies and procedures that are evenly enforced
• Education and training (not just All My Own Work) from K-12 which develops an understanding of ownership and copyright
• Good workflows which centre on student learning (the higher up Blooms taxonomy you are, the harder it is to plagiarise)
• Getting to know your students and your student work so that you are familiar enough to spot when plagiarism might occur
• Using tools to assist you e.g. TurnItIn (though when you’ve done the above, generally a quick Google search will suffice)
• Provide a framework of consequences that encourages growth and awareness rather than punitive sanctions

Too much change?

Recently I was talking to a teacher about her new Windows 8 tablet-hybrid. I asked how she was finding it.

"I hate it," she stated bluntly, "all the menus are different and I cannot print."

And therein lies a problem. Our teachers are not technological experts and sometimes we assume too much about their capacity to understand the technology that they are using.

What do I mean?

Well the comment from the teacher seems to be about the device (hardware). But it was in fact about the operating system (software). She was blaming the laptop for what was essentially a Windows 8 learning curve.

So what?

Well change is often about familiarity more than anything else. Regular incremental change in devices and software breeds more comfort with technological change. Meanwhile irregular large-scale change causes stress and creates barriers and blockers.

What then?

All change needs to be managed. Change management is not a new part of business theory and discourse, but change theory in education is an area where academic discourse and research hasn't filtered down as effectively to middle management. Technology leaders in schools could do themselves a great service in understanding what changes means for an organisation, how they can plan change and how they can effectively sustain change. This is, perhaps, the leadership issue in contemporary education.

From my perspective, the best type of the change is that regular incremental change.

Change the device first. Then change the hardware. Then keep changing in little steps until change is the norm for schools.

The reality is, that is arguably what schools are all about.

Postscript: I will attempt to add some work on change management in Learning Technology when I am not otherwise occu

SAMR

SAMR is a model designed to help educators integrate technology into teaching and learning. Developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura, the  model guides educators in how to best integrate technology into their learning.

The model has close alignments with Bloom's Revised Taxonomy (and that makes sense). Kathy Schrock (a US educator) adjusted the map above to reflect this alignment. 

SAMR provides a solid framework for assessing the level of integration of technology.  If you want to know more, a quick Google search will show you plenty of information or go to Kathy's website. 

Who drives the agenda?

One of the more interesting questions is who drives the technology agenda in our schools? When asked, and I am not certain it is asked often, the question is often quite challenging.

1) Is it driven by technology?

Technology itself is not the solution. It is a part of the tool-kit. If there is one takeaway from the DER, it is that hardware and software are not sufficient to drive change.

2) Is it driven by individuals?

We need technology leaders in our schools, of that there is no doubt. But they are no sufficient in and of themselves. I once heard a technology leader being described as a lighthouse. Though an apt description, it highlights why a lighthouse is not enough - a lighthouse shines the way, but does not move the boat. That requires a ship, an engine, captain and crew.
The real danger here is that individuals who are technology leaders can get burnt out, ostracised or disillusioned if left to lead alone. More importantly, what happens when they leave?

3) Is it driven by principals? 

Principals are the true everypersons of schools. They swap from WHS leader to curriculum leadership to human resources to any number of other roles... all in the space of a single staff meeting. To assume that they technical knowledge and time is sufficient to implement change is impractical, and as above, to leave it up to a single individual is fraught with danger.

4) Is it driven by systems?

A running joke in IT is the programmer who is asked how long a project will take. He thinks three hours, says three days and by the time it is on the strategic plan it's three months. Systems, due to their nature, are slower and more difficult to respond to change. More importantly, should systems drive agendas for change in school? This is the tension of good governenace that plays itself out in all organisations with a governing body. Particularly, in our Catholic schools, the concept of subsidiarity plays a central role.

5) Is it driven by research? 

Researchers research. However, educational research... well... as the saying goes: "Everything works somewhere, and nothing works everywhere". Therefore, as Dylan William rightly points out the right question is, “Under what conditions does this work?”. Assuming that all research is easily generalisable is a poor application of the research. #Mr_Cornwall if you want to fight me on this one.

6) Is it driven by what others are doing?

My wife tells a humorous anecdote. When we first were dating she made me roast lamb dinner. As part of the preparation she cut about 1cm off each end of the roast. I was curious as to why. She said it was what her step-mother did. Later we asked her step-mother why she did that and she replied that she had done it because her mother always had. When we asked nanna, the response was as hilarious as it was illuminating: her butcher's rolled shoulders were always a little bit too long for her little oven at the family home, so she had to shave the ends off which she cooked separately as sandwhich meat.

The often quoted line "The most dangerous phrase in the English language is 'we've always done it this way'" should have a companion line that says "The second most dangerous phrase is 'Well it worked for them'".

As the comments for educational research indicate, generalising research is fraught with danger and equally generalising experiences has the same issues.

7) Is it driven by other considerations?

Do parents drive the agenda? How much is the cost to parents involved in the decision making of BYOD? Do students drive the agenda? How much do we consider their needs? Does funding drive the agenda? How many technological purchases were made by the need to utilise available funding?


So what then?

I would propose that there is a model that is both aware and agile. I would nominate context as the crucial issue for any school. Schools that say "my school couldn't" are working from a context-aware framework. The challenge is knowing what is real and what is not.

Some important question for context are:
* How do our current learners learn?
* How do our current teachers teach?
* What is the TPACK of our teachers?
* How supportive is our community to change?

From here important questions become:
* How do we want learners to learn?
* How do we want our teachers to teach?
* How do we increase the TPACK of our teachers?
* How to we build a more agile community?

There is no part of this process that is about a principal, a technological leader, an agenda, a system, a research report, a parent, a student, or a different context. Simply put - it's about all these things.

Furthermore, inquiry needs to be disciplined. This isn't singularly the field of educational research. Every teacher is a leaner and a researcher-in-action. Everyone needs to be disciplined in their inquiry as to what works best in their context, be it the context of their school or even as narrow as the context of their classroom. This may mean breaking down the questions above until they are specific to the classroom and the individual student.

We know that technology should be integrated into learning. Any discussion regarding technology in schools should equally be integrated with the context of the school.

Untethered Teaching (and Netgear Push2TV review)

I was recently inspired by an article discussing the untethering of the teacher to relate my experiences in a classroom.

We’ve all been in one. You know them. Long rows of tables and chairs facing the well-used whiteboard that also serves as a projection screen.

As teachers we tend to be tethered to the front of our rooms. Even if we attempt to actively avoid the ‘sage on the stage’ mantle, invariably those explicit teaching moments require us to roll up our sleeves, grab a whiteboard marker, and go to it.

Perhaps it was due to my incompetence when it comes to writing on a whiteboard, or my own nerdy pre-disposition, but I started tinkering with ways to untether myself many years ago. However, it wasn’t until the Collaborative Teaching project at St Mary’s Maitland that I was able to bring it all together.

The Collaborative Teaching project at St Mary’s Maitland saw the old hospitality room – all 115m² – stripped back to a bare classroom. It still had at the front of the room a whiteboard and projector – albeit a little larger than the norm – and the teacher’s desk. And to that we added 48 students to a flipped learning pedagogy with high amounts of collaboration.

We also started to use of the projector manufacturer software on a tablet device to control the projector. Now the explicit teaching could occur from any part of the room. PowerPoints could be delivered from anywhere by anyone.  It was possible to look over a student’s shoulder, see some good work and send it to the screen via the camera. It was also possible to write in OneNote all those mindmaps and visual tools that are so prevalent in the HSC, or to demonstrate in real time the ideas students were putting on paper. It was even possible to throw the tablet to a student to present, control or use for small group purposes.  I was able to change the way I taught as well. Everything could be recorded. This was really the first step in the flipped learning approach I employed for my teaching of Studies of Religion at St Mary’s.  

As we became untethered I started to notice a change. I didn’t have to stop a lesson and address the student talking at the back. I could now continue teaching and simply draw near. Many of those oft-disruptive moments disappeared. In addition, the Alt-Tab game became less and less as students realised I could see their screens and if they were off-task. I referred to it as proximal behaviour management. Remind me to trademark that.

Almost any classroom teacher can untether themselves, though some will find it easier than others. Teachers with newer tablets and laptops which have WiDi can use a range of WiDi connectors to transmit information wirelessly to the projector. Some newer projectors and televisions are already WiDi compliant. I’ve used a few  products to connect via WiDi, and it’s a seamless connection once you’ve ironed out a few bugs.

Untethering yourself is not always a simple process. However, to be free to teach from any part of the room is often worth some of the initial hassle.

In the video below I review the Netgear Push2TV device that provides a $60 option for connecting yourself wirelessly to a projector or television. 

Secondary Learning Technology Blog - Netgear Push2TV from Andrew Cornwall on Vimeo.

Video Conferencing (Office Mix Hands On)

Well, it was very stop/start, but I managed to use Office Mix to create a video. You'll note that the audio on the 'how to's is fairly poor. It is the laptop's default microphone and it just really isn't up to task - the clarity is ok, but it doesn't have the noise cancelling features of a proper microphone.

The rest of the presentation is using an external Logitech (C920) webcam microphone. As you can tell the quality is far superior.

Meanwhile, if you are wanting to know the ins and outs of Video Conferencing, please see the documentation attached. I'll likely replace this with something more formal over the coming weeks.



Slot 1 2015 - Video Conferencing - 05-02-15 from Andrew Cornwall on Vimeo.

Office Mix

It's rare that I get excited about Microsoft products. Generally I am more into new hardware than productivity tools. However, with the release of Sway and Office 365 there are some real potential for Microsoft to change the way we do things as teachers.

One product, however, has gone somewhat under the radar. This is probably as its not an app or tool or even an upgrade, but an add-on for PowerPoint called Office Mix.
(Edit: Hopefully we'll see some more of this with Office 2016)

We've all sat through death by PowerPoint and even the most innovative educators use PowerPoint or something similar. However PowerPoint is a tool designed for synchronous learning - where the learner and teacher are co-located in time and space. This has worked well in classrooms up to now, but things are changing. The flipped classroom movement, MOOCs, Khan Academy and other attempts to leverage technology to delivery education typically demand that learning become asynchronous. To do this, you need technology that means learning anywhere, anytime.

As a flipped advocate and a flipper myself, I am excited about a tool like Office Mix. It allows me to do, in a very simple way, what I used to have to do with Camstasia. It is no where near as powerful, but nor is it as difficult to learn.

Microsoft's innovative educator program has brought together an ebook about this and other topics. I'll let you read it for yourself. Hopefully I'll have a hands-on review of Office Mix soon!

Using Office Mix to Improve Learning from Microsoft Education UK

Kahoot

There are lots of fun tools and apps out there. One of the ones that I really enjoy using and watching being used is Kahoot.

Kahoot is game based quizzes and assessments. It is fun and colourful, and appeals to students of any ages (and teachers too).

Game-based learning can get a bit of flack - thanks Dan Pink - but I argue that it does have a place in our classrooms. This is particularly the case in those difficult-to-engage moments. Think last period Year 9!

Kahoot is easy to set up and get going as Susan Johnson demonstrates.



For me though, the real joy is on those moments when that student is fully engaged.




Good luck with your Kahooting!

Video Conferencing

The Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle covers most of the Hunter Valley, Manning Valley and stretches to almost the Central Coast. From the head office it is more than two hours to some of the outlying schools. Attending professional development days, networking opportunities or even social events are sometimes impossible for teachers in outlying schools. This is one of the main motivators for teachers to use and make use of the video conferencing systems that are available.

But why bother?

I've used video conferencing for a variety of purposes over the last few years including:

• virtually attending a conference
• attending and participating in diocesan RSC meetings
• mentoring newer teachers
• deliver professional development on learning technology
• demonstrate 'how to's on it matters
• have meetings with staff in different sites
• sharing ideas and and resources

Broadly speaking in the diocese there are two main systems that are active, accessible and known to work.


1) Google+ Video Hangouts (For 1-4 participants)

Google+ Video Hangouts is a part of the Google+ social network. If you make a Google+ account with your @mn.catholic.edu.au email you will find yourself a member of the mn.catholic.edu.au domain. You can then add other users to your 'circle's and before long you'll find yourself with a Facebook-esque experience all focused on education.

Video Hangouts works a little like Skype or similar programs. You contact someone in your 'circle' or via an email and they get an invite to your conversation. If they are online, they can accept your invitation. If they are not online or logged in they can log in and then accept the invitation.

From there you can record (straight to YouTube), share desktops and remote desktop and even add in some silly effects.

Requirements: Google Chrome, Google+ account (using your mn.catholic.edu.au account), webcam and camera.

Pros: Simply to use, very quick to set up and uses software and hardware found on most laptops.

Cons: Not effective for more than 4 participants if you want interaction (find for more than 4 if you just have on person speaking); video quality and audio can be less than adequate.

2) Cisco Video Conferencing (For 1-many participants)

Cisco Video Conferencing is available at all secondary schools. Generally this is a full hardware conferencing system and often located in a meeting room. Some schools also have portable systems. Lastly it is possible to download a software program that works with this system - email me for more information on this option.

The Cisco Video Conferencing system works by having virtual meeting rooms where different locations dial in to. The meeting room does not have a fixed location, though generally the room in your school has an allocated number (e.g. 06802).

With the system you can demonstrate your desktop, share presentations and generally do everything that Google+ Video Hangouts does.

Requirements: Either a Cisco video conferencing system, a portable video conferencing unit or the Cisco Jabber software and a laptop with a camera and microphone.

Pros: Superior video and audio, works well with larger numbers, already in place in most schools.

Cons: Generally have to book/share the room.

3) Other self-sourced options

There are plenty of other tools that allow conferencing and meeting spaces. I have used Big Blue Button before through the Canvas Learning Management System and it worked perfectly. Skype is another option that users may be familiar with. The only drawback here is that there isn't an already-established process of how to use these products, so you will have to go it alone!

Working with a stylus

Ok, I'll be honest. My handwriting is of the type most often seen in the medical fields. As an English/HSIE teacher by trade, its honestly embarrassing. However, computers have managed to keep my secret shame for a good few years. However it's becoming increasingly hard to hide....

Late last year I took the plunge and purchased an Asus VivoTab Note 8. This is a handy piece of kit in and of itself and can be found edging closer to $300AUD.

Asus VivoTab Note 8 + Bamboo Feel + cheap ebay case

My reason for choosing the Asus VivoTab Note 8 over other cheaper options was because it made use of a Wacom digitizer. Having used this on my Samsung ATIV I was loathe to go back to and old and clunky stylus. More importantly, I was already a proud owner of a Bamboo Feel Stylus, easily one of the best upgrades I've ever made. With these products I am able to write effectively on the screen and it actually feels close to normal.

So what?

Well, here are some of the things I could do:

• Student submits a typed essay, I could still annotate by hand on-screen. This provided a more personal interactions, all the ease of handwriting but with the security and convenience of digital documents.
• PowerPoint's could be delivered wirelessly to the projector and annoted. Mindmaps now became embedded in the PowerPoint. 
• I could jot to do lists, quick emails, etc on the tablet without using the clunky on-screen keyboard. 
• I could draw, sketch, plan and design on OneNote, Word, in email or graphics programs.
• In meetings I only required my tablet and a pen. I could write my minutes into the agenda in my short-form and draw all over documents.

It was surprising how handy it became! 

If you want to know more about using a stylus with Office products, Microsoft has put together a handy guide.

Windows 8 Apps

Look, I'll be honest. Occasionally I get frustrated that I cannot get an app for Windows. For example my bank, like many, offers an app for both Android and Google but not for Windows Phone.

As a Windows Phone user for the last four years this is very frustrating. Many of my colleagues and friends are at a loss as to why I persist with the Windows Phone platform or, indeed, Windows at all. You see, normally an average 30 something with a suit and no tie the perfect accessory would be a expected to carry a MacBook and/or iPad. (If I could grow a beard it would be a Chromebook)

I however carry around my Dell e7240, an Asus VivoTab 8 and a Nokia Lumia 930.

The reality is, however, that there are a multitude of good apps for Windows and that app writers are now catching on to the fact that the Windows platform for apps is becoming more appealing. Skoolbag, used extensively by schools to communicate with parents, is hoping to roll out a Windows Phone app this year. Meanwhile Windows 10 and a single-platform for apps might just add further incentive to build apps for Windows.

But I digress.

What does this all mean for educators? Well there are actually a range of really useful Window's apps and tools out there. Over the coming week's I'd like to highlight a few.

This week, I'd like to take a look at The Teacher Collection which builds apps for educators. I've used these before on my Windows Tablet to great success. Here is a sample:

• 21st Century Learning Design - If you've attended our 21CLD workshops here at school, you might consider this handy self-assessment tool. It help's assess your tasks against the 21CLD framework. 
• Academic Wordsmith - not as user friendly as one might like, but a whole lot easier than other products on the market. This tool helps to analyse content with a view to identifying plagiarism.
• Markbook - this is a powerful digital mark-book and certainly worth looking at if you'd like to swap paper for a digital mark-book. This has integration with OneDrive which can make it a very powerful assessment support tool.
• Class Seater - seems simple enough, but if you've ever had 9D English you'll know how important seating arrangements are. I used a lot of group work and this app helped to have different setups for different activities. 
• Essay Marker - I haven't used this tool, having used something similar last year with HSC Studies of Religion. However, this looks like an excellent tool for those who mark essays on a regular basis.