Review of Tuxpaint

I spent some time surveying Open Source applications.  I found many were not designed for Macs and that one had to download additional applications to open it.  I am wary of adding too many unknowns to my Mac, so I searched for those that were Mac compatible.  I also had difficulty finding one that would be useful in an elementary classroom.  The Open Source application I ultimately found and tested was at SourceForge.net.  It is called Tuxpaint, and it is an elementary painting program similar to Paintbrush or Kidpix.

Tuxpaint is attractive and easy to use--its logo is a little penguin with a paintbrush, ergo its name, Tuxpaint.  It has a wraparound sidebar with tool icons running in a double column along the left of the work space.  The tools include such functions as "brushes," "text," "paint,"  "stamp" (mostly penguins of different sizes), and "magic".  If you click on a function on the toolbar on the left, the choices for that function show up on the toolbar on the right.  For example, "magic" functions show up on the right sidebar and there is an arrow at the bottom that allows you to run through the many choices available. "Magic" includes some neat computer art-type ways to manipulate images.  If you pick "shapes," the shapes run the gamut from stars triangles, penguins (!) random blobs and stampy figures, spirals, kitties, snowflakes, hearts and arrows.

The colors run along the bottom of the page.  When you click on a color, the name of the color displays on the screen, so you know which color you are using.

There is one feature that children would most likely love, but that I found supremely annoying:  every move made is accompanied by a sound.  They are random computer generated sounds, which I do not want to invade whatever personal soundtrack I run when I am creating.  Thank heavens for headphones!

Of course there is an undo, save and print function.  So, all in all, a servicable, easy-to-use,  FREE program--good for districts or families who are watching their pennies.

All of this is with the caveat that computer art is not the same as hand-made art.  I strongly feel that children should have lots of practice handling media--it teaches them about the properties of matter, and gives realistic expectations as to how long it takes to make something real, as opposed to virtual.  That being said, this is a nice product.

LMS versus PLE

http://mohamedaminechatti.blogspot.com

In Mohamed Amine Chatti's ongoing research on Technology Enhanced Learning he sets up Learning Management Systems and Personal Learning Environments in opposition to one another--the first as restricted, top-down system of learning, and the latter as a fluid and rich learner-centered environment.

He declares LMS to be "a one-size-fits-all approach to learning by offering a static system with predefined tools to a set of many learners around a course. A PLE, by contrast, is responsive and provides a personalized experience of learning. It considers the needs and preferences of the learner and places her at the center by providing her with a plethora of different tools and handing over control to her to select and use the tools the way she deems fit."

He goes on to say that in a LMS, learning stops at the end of the course. That all knowledge is consumed as a result of a "push"-- a kind of forced feeding, if you will, of knowledge nuggets.  Whereas a PLE is a veritable vortex of acquisitiveness- a ravening ditch-pig of curiosity that can only be satisified by the bottomless largesse of the web.

 

I don't see the two environments as dichotomized as he describes them.  Over the summer,  I  took an on-line Meteorology Course, top-down input in a primarily "LMS," format.  It was intense and technical and involved the ability to read meteorologist's charts, the interpretation of data and the drawing of isotherms and isobars in Photoshop, calculating lapse rates and dew points and relative humidity.  I knew nothing about the subject, and would not have known how to construct my own PLE around the subject even if I had one second of time outside the demands of the course to do so. When the course was over, I  then went on to pursue the subject by reading a book on my Kindle, The Cloudspotter's Guide: The Science, History and Culture of Clouds by Gavin Pretor-Pinney, to enhance my knowledge and to view it through a more poetic lens.

Did learning stop at the end of the course?  Every time the wind blows and I envision it as air moving from an area of high pressure to low pressure, I experience a deepening of the knowledge.  Did I wish that I could control the pace and content of the information more?  Yes.  But I don't know if I would have worked as hard without the structure.  I think it depends on the nature of the content being learned which kind of environment works best.   I require a baseline of knowledge about a subject before I can formulate the questions that I want answered.  Then, I want to be left alone.  Until I need more input.  I see it more as a balance--a spiraling of wanting input and seeking knowledge.  In my classroom I try to provide that same balance: some listening, some talking, some game playing, some choice in independent work.  As students grow older, their ability to rebalance the proportions of those elements will change.

I want the content of an unfamiliar subject circumscribed for me--I don't like filtering through materials about which I don't yet have the discriminatory faculties to decide which is superior. But, I do want to control the pace.  Some concepts I absorb very quickly, and others I need to marinate in for a while.  I want my questions answered when I ask them.  That is one thing I love about search engines.  As my understanding deepens, I may read and reread until I develop mastery.

I am not certain what my thesis is on these matters yet, and the fact that this is a even a huge controversy is sort of surprising to me, so I have to mull it over for a while.  I'm always suspicious when people gather their wagons around one camp or another--for that, neither, is a particularly flexible way of viewing a situation.

Waiting for Superman--(I ran out of space)

Nicole, A thoughtful response. I do agree with your take that those children who end up in charter schools are winnowed by the simple fact that their parents try to find a better situation for them. I used to work in New York City--in a school where 98% of the children were eligible for free lunch and most did not hear English spoken at home.  The school had three programs, The "gifted" program, the bi-lingual program, and everyone else.  The children who were in first two programs were admitted pursuant to a parental request. The gifted program was comprised of mostly average-- with some truly gifted students.  What they had in common was parents who cared enough to be sure that their homework was done and that they showed up at school each day.  The same went for the bi-lingual program.  The remaining children were, at best, the children of parents who did not know how to work the system and at worst were the victims of the most ruinous family circumstances imaginable.  I had 22 boys and 10 girls in my class.  Two children had parents in prison for homicide.  Many were emotionally or learning disabled, but the families refused help for fear of the stigma of the "special ed" label.  Of course, the newest, most inexperienced teachers (me-at the time)  were given the most difficult classes.  I was dedicated, smart and passionate--but I could not fix my kids.

This is a tough situation.  As a parent of two sons, 18 and 22, I was glad that there were honors and AP programs for my boys. (They deserved them, didn't they?  They were smart and my husband and I were involved in their education.)  I would by lying if I said I wasn't glad that they were hanging out with a "better type" of student in these programs.  Yet, this stratification mirrors the situation that I described above.  As a teacher, I want one thing, (a mixed ability classroom--with lots of positive role models) but as a parent, I want another. (To reduce my children's exposure to distractions and chaos.)

As a teacher, I want the freedom to run my classroom with integrity and discipline--yet I work in a system that is so cowed by potential litigation that the inmates are running the prison.  Children are not held accountable.  Parents are not held accountable.  But teachers are held accountable.

The bottom line is I show up for work each day and dedicate myself to the success of all children in my class.  Day after day. Year after year.

Waiting for Superman

http://teacherrevised.org/2010/06/30/movie-review-waiting-for-superman-or-just-another-clark-kent-playing-dress-up/

This movie has been a topic of discussion in our district. Although I haven't seen it,  I honestly find its tenets to be so ludicrous as to be incomprehensible.

Yes, there are bad teachers.  But, honestly, in my teaching career, I have encountered very few.  (There are also bad doctors and lawyers, and if they don't break any laws, they are still practicing and making a living. )  My particular team of teachers is one of the most dedicated, professional and caring group of professionals I've ever encountered.

So, if teachers are so great, why do we need unions?  I believe resentment for unions stems partly from the fact that more than 75% of teachers are women.  Historically, teachers were young females, were horrifically underpaid, and were fired if they started a family.  Older female teachers were "spinsters."  Administrators were typically male.  There is a cultural suspicion of powerful women who protect their interests.

Well. that was in the olden days, right?  I have recently seen districts where the superintendents and principals were all male--and all of the teachers were young, blond, and mini-skirted.  No joke.  I even heard the principal jokingly refer to one of the old-timers as an "old face." (quotes his). But, sexism and implicit sexual manipulation or harassment aside, there are other instances where good teachers need the protection of unions.  What if a teacher irritates an administrator?  A paper trail can be created to justify the harassment and firing of that teacher.  What if a new administrator with new ideas comes in and wants to purge the staff of stubborn veterans who may challenge his or her point of view and hire a cadre of malleable young recruits?  Same situation.  What if an administrator decides to indirectly harass a union rep by doing repetitive "walk-throughs" of that person's friends?  I would say that for every "rubber room" candidate, there are far, far more competent teachers whose careers and livelihoods are being protected by unions.

It is  easy for those who reap the benefits of a particular political action group's labors to say it is no longer necessary.  It is like certain young women who think that sexual promiscuity alone equals woman's liberation.  This discounts the fact that there were women who worked for our right to vote, our right for equal pay and our right for reproductive freedom.  I equate unions with our right to fair working conditions.

It is so easy and convenient to bash teachers.  What politician is going to bash families?  (I wonder if homes where the lack of homework, reading, dinners or any limits whatsoever were highlighted in the "documentary?")  But they wouldn't do that! That is the bulk of their voting constituency.  Effective scapegoaters must choose a minority against which to pit a self-righteous majority.

Maybe the movie should have been called "A Convenient Scapegoat?"

Wikis for Wittle Ones Wedux

http://teachersfirst.wikispaces.com/Elementary+Ideas+and+Successes

 I'm thinking of ways to deepen instruction with Wikis.  Here are a couple of ideas that I like:

I like the geometry walk described below because it is a specific and concrete activity that could be enhanced by locating and photographing the objects.


"I'm thinking about letting my 4th grade small groups take a "walk" around campus and locate geometric figures, types of lines, and angles. Then we can post it here and learn to upload pics. If all goes well, maybe the students can add to this by finding geometric concepts outside of the classroom!"

My thoughts: I would like to see the templates and rubrics for this activity that describe the specific activities--do they distinguish between 2-D or 3-D shapes?  Do the children have to describe the attributes of the shapes?  Without a structure children tend to just run around and point, "There's a circle!  There's a square!" Fourth graders should be held accountable for a thoughtful analysis of what they have found.  This develops language and analytical skills.

"We have literature circles in groups of 5 with my 4th students. We conduct our literature discussions on our Wiki!"



My thoughts: This could be an intriguing and motivating enhancement of literature circles.  Again, I would be interested in seeing how focused "Thick" discussion questions are developed--are they generated by the children or the teacher?  What are the protocols for 'talking back" to the books and to each other?




To be honest, I have visited some other early elementary wikis and the quality of the student work has left a lot to be desired.  The technology should not be a substitute or a trendy mask for poorly developed work.




My other thoughts on 2.0--there seems to be an exponential increase in information and opinion--to the point where everyone is writing and no-one is reading other people's work.






I hate to be a Negative Nellie, but I call 'em as I see 'em!
 

Wikis for Wittle Ones

From TeachersFirst:   http://www.teachersfirst.com/single.cfm?id=5474

  

Wiki ideas for younger students (elementary):

• An annotated virtual library: listings and commentary on independent reading students have done throughout the year
• collaborative book reviews or author studies
  An elementary class “encyclopedia” on a special topic, such as explorers or state history – to be continued and added to each year!
• A virtual tour of your school as you study “our community” in elementary grades
• A travelogue from a field trip or NON- field trip that the class would have liked to take as A culmination of a unit of study: Our (non) trip to the Capital and what we (wish) we saw.
• Detailed and illustrated descriptions of scientific or governmental processes: how a bill becomes a law, how mountains form, etc.
  A wiki “fan club” for you favorite author(s).
• Family Twaditionwiki- elementary students share their family’s ways of preparing Thanksgiving dinner or celebrating birthdays (anonymously, of course) and compare them to practices in other cultures they read and learn about.
• A Where is Wanda wiki: a wiki version of the ever-favorite Flat Stanley project. Have each Wanda host post on the wiki, including the picture they take with Wanda during her visit. Even better: keep an ongoing Google Earth placemarker file to add geographic visuals to Wanda’s wonderful wanderings as a link in the wiki. WOW! Where in the world IS Wiki Wanda?

My thoughts on the above:

These are all great ideas!

I'm thinking it would be pretty motivating for my third-graders to create a "Wiktionary."  Each week they are supposed to find three or four "Juicy Words" from their "Just-Right" reading books.  These are books that are not too hard and not too easy, and in which they should occasionally encounter unfamiliar vocabulary.  They are asked to create a semantic map for one word and put that word and two others into sentences that show they know the meaning of the word.  It would be great if they could compile these into a class "Wiktionary" to share with each other, with their families and with posterity.

I think it might behoove me to get a parent involved with editing for clarity and appropriateness before it goes to publication.

Smelly Knowledge by Jeremy Price

http://forestfortrees.edublogs.org/

In Jeremy Price's post on attention in "Smelly Knowledge," he quotes anthropologist Michael Wesch:

"In a hyper-connected world, we now find ourselves in multiple conversations at once, both real and virtual, and are often putting forth different masks, faces, identities, and selves in each one.
As interesting as the multi-tasking discussion is, it becomes especially interesting to me to consider the idea that we might also be “multi-selfing” as we bounce between our e-mails, tweets, texts, status updates, etc."

I find the accessibility to so much information a double-edged sword.  While it plugs into the aspect of my thinking that is lateral and associative in natural and comfortable ways,  I also find it supremely distracting.  It disperses my attention so thinly that  I do not read in the same way that has been intrinsic to me throughout most of my life.   Historically,  I have read slowly, thoughtfully and have made many lateral associations in my mind to my concrete experience--or to other books or world events.  This is what we in elementary school call "text to self," "text to text" and "text to world" connections.  That catalog of connections has now been expanded to "text to web"--which exponentially expands the number and kind of connections,  This can serve to expand one's experience--but it is a virtual experience--I find I am by necessity reading more rapidly and superficially--plucking out juicy tidbits and laterally connecting.  Ironically,  I read more volume, but less deeply and so tangentially that I end up either off topic--or worse, forgetting exactly what I was looking for to begin with.  This is ultimately unsettling--and inefficient.  By its very nature of permitting distractions and not filtering sites qualitatively, it may actually preclude deep, original thought.  RSS feeds can create qualitative filters, but one must take time to  peruse them in order to make those determinations.

Web reading is changing my very identity as a reader, and while I may have some facility with it, I am not certain it is ultimately desirable.