Think Through Math (TTM) Launch on Monday, 02/01/2016

Access TTM online at http://thinkthroughmath.com

Thank you for your attention to this email. On Monday February 1st, East Central ISD students and staff may begin using Think Through Math services for grades 3-8. High School and BCLC will continue usage with login information listed below.  TTM has improved their reports by linking student performance to the quantile framework; similar to those in SMI.

Please be aware that the Think Through Math system is now ready for staff and student use. To connect, follow these short steps:

1. Use approved browser (list below) to connect to http://thinkthroughmath.com.
1. Desktop/Laptop Computer: Use one of these browsers - Firefox version 27+, version Chrome 31+, version Safari 6+)
2. iPad 2 or greater: version Safari 3.2+
3. Note: Think Through Math’s works 100% on different devices including iPads, Kindles, Android-based tablets and ChromeBooks.
2. Login with your ECISD username:
1. Staff should use their Active Directory/GoogleApps login:
• Teacher login is based on their firstname.lastname (e.g. donna.owen if email is donna.owen@ecisd.net).
• The Teacher password is whatever password they had previously; teachers can reset their password by using the Forgot Your Password? link.
2. Students should use the first 6 letters of their first name, the first 4 letters of their last name, and the last 3 digits of the student ID #. The password is the student's 5-digit ID #. The first 6 letters of the student’s first name, the first 4 letters of their last name, and the last 3 digits of the student ID#.
3. For example, a student named Esmeralda Korcyznski would use the following login:
• EsmeraKorc012 and this password: 32012

Resources

• Supplemental resource to help students
• Texas Success is funding grades 3-8
• Think Through Math provided resources
• Performance Levels (handout)
• Benchmark Guide (handout)
• First 30 Days Guide (handout)

Data

• TTM is now tied to the quantile framework.  
• You will see reports with quantile scores.

On behalf of Assessment & Technology Offices,

Miguel Guhlin

https://about.me/ecmguhlin

East Central ISD Technology Operations (ECTO)

Web: http://www.ecisd.net/ecto

txGradebook FAQ - SBG Grade Combination for 2nd Nine Weeks Grade

Get answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), watch txGradebook videos and more online!

A frequently asked question this grade reporting time is the one that appears below:

The Semester Average appears to be pulling only from quarter 2, and it mirrors the quarter average. How was the average determined?

One response includes the following:

All grades from the Semester are combined together. When that happens, either the Power Law or Average takes effect. If there are standards that are taught in the first 9 weeks, not the second, the grades for that standard are still part of the 2nd nine weeks' grade.  

As a result, the 2nd nine weeks grade and the semester grade are the same. The first semester grade and the second semester grade are then averaged to get the final grade for the year.

What has your experience been?

Have questions answered in this blog entry? Submit them via this online form.

Systems and Network Access Restored! #ecisdtweets

Trying to get some work done from home this weekend? If you were, you may have noticed that your ECISD GoogleApps emails weren't going out, that you couldn't access the ECISD Web Site, as well as Eduphoria and other services. These problems were due to a problem resulting from the Network Operations Center (NOC) relocation that took place earlier this month (January, 2016).

Did you know that in case of an ECISD Web Site outage, you can still access some critical links online at http://tinyurl.com/eccritical ?

As soon as EC Technology Operations (ECTO) became aware of the outages, staff began working to resolve them after notifying staff using the Telegram network, an alternative communication system based on personal mobile devices connecting district and campus leaders to keep them in the loop. You can find out more about Telegram online at http://tinyurl.com/ectelegrams

Below is an example of emails and tweets shared during the outage:

WHEN ISSUE WAS RESOLVED: 

Thank you for your patience. Please be aware that the network/internet outage that resulted in loss of access to GoogleApps, Schoolwires web site, and other services has been resolved. The problem was found to be a series of equipment--software, not hardware thank goodness--that had a delayed reaction to the relocation of the District's Network Operations Center (NOC) that took place in earlier this month. 

If you sent emails out yesterday during the outage, please be aware that those emails probably did NOT get delivered to their intended recipients. You will want to resend those emails.

Tweet: 

ECTO UPDATE: outage appears to be internal problem not @Schoolwires since other sites are affected. ECTO STAFF trying to fix #ecisdtweets 

Thank you again for your support and patience!

CINTech Update for Week of 01/25/2016 #ecisdlearner

In this Curriculum & Instruction Technology Operations Update, you will find the following:

1. Enhancing Technology Productivity
1. TechTip: Google Classroom Cheat Sheet
2. VideoTip: 10 Things to Start with in Google Classroom
3. TxGradebook: Find a resource for TxGradebook online | Get Help
   
2. Transforming Instruction with Learning Technologies

1. Features: 
1. Working with Student Writers and 
2. How the Skunk Got His Bad Smell
2. LearnTip: Big6 for Problem-Based Learning: 5 Actions (Part 4)
3. LearnTip: Digital Citizenship Poster Idea - THINK before you use social media in a harmful way.
   
3. Becoming a Connected Educator
1. Weekly Chat: Join the ECISDLearners VoxerChat Group. 

Big6: 5 Actions (Part 4) #ecisdlearner

Note: This is Part 4 of the Big6 and Problem-based Learning series.Read Part 1 online here.

An Example: On the Border
This article began with a presentation of a problem that exists on the border of the United States and Mexico. Here's how the author used this situation to develop a problem-based learning (PBL) lesson called "On the Border," which reinforces essential Big6 information problem-solving skills.Don't forget that preparing curriculum is an information exercise for the teacher, just as the lesson itself presents an information problem for the student. 

Since lessons based on real-life problems are broad and information-rich, Task Definition is a particularly important step for the teacher.A particularly useful Task Definition exercise for lesson planning is the articulation of curriculum objectives and learning outcomes. 

When developing the On the Border lesson, the author identified four curriculum objectives:

Students will:

• Examine how history, culture, and geography influence a person's perception toward a particular issue.
• Construct an understanding of the various stakeholder points of view by immersing themselves in the role of individuals who live there.
• Research, analyze, and synthesize how the historical, geographical and cultural implications have influenced the views of various groups of people found on the border between the U. S. and Mexico.
• Apply what they have learned concerning differing points of view, and technology, to create a multimedia presentation to the class.

Once the teacher has defined the desired learning outcomes for the lesson, the next step is to consider possible issues associated with the central problem. This will help the teacher to identify and anticipate ways that students may potentially approach the problem. In developing the On the Border lesson, the teacher used a brainstorming map (http://www.geocities.com/mguhlin/writings/ontheborder.jpg) to examine the issues connected with this particular ill-structured problem. 

The brainstorming map identifies possible stakeholders, issues arising from the influx of undocumented workers, the deaths of border patrol agents, the culture clash between Mexico and the United States, the impact of free trade policies the federal government has enacted and much more. Of course, as any experienced teacher knows, there is no way to anticipate everything the class will come up with–expect to be dazzled by your students' insight and creativity!

While Task Definition deals with the problem at hand, it also asks you to define the type of information needed. For the teacher, this means considering what he or she expects for the final product of the lesson. The author determined that as students progress through the lesson, they would build a portfolio for assessment. Each assessment task pinpoints specific learning objectives. 

An overview of the assessments for this lesson include:Student Product Objectives (I=Individual Product; G=Group Product):

• Fishbone map of the causes and effects. (I)
• Cluster map of stakeholder questions. (I)
• Comparison/Contrast chart on information sources. (I)
• Spider Map that identifies stakeholder question responses. (I)
• Problem/solution map that reflects all stakeholders' information. (G)
• Venn Diagram with different points of view. (G)
• Multimedia Presentation (G) assessed using the Multimedia Presentation rubric.
• Peer Evaluation (G) assessed using the Peer Evaluation rubric.

Engage Students in a Real-life Problem (Task Definition)
Once the teacher has gone through his or her own Big6 process to plan the PBL lesson, it is time to present the lesson to the students and prepare them to engage in their own information problem-solving process to complete the lesson successfully. First, it is important to help the class understand the importance of the problem. Role playing is one way for the students to become actively involved in the problem. The student must say, "My mother is an illegal alien. How do I feel about the U. S. Border Patrol in school?" or perhaps, "As the U.S. Border Patrol Agent in charge of setting up the outreach centers, how can I reassure these children that I am not here on official business in order to hunt their parents?"The teacher can use the Big6 and graphic organizers to help students identify with a particular group. Following is an excerpt from the lesson, where students use graphic organizers to help them begin to define the task of their particular stakeholder group.

Big6 #1: Task Definition

1.1 Define the information problem: The U.S. Border Patrol has created several outreach programs to provide teenagers the opportunity to explore career possibilities. With these programs, the Border Patrol hopes to improve its relationship with residents in El Paso and Southern New Mexico. One particular initiative in Santa Teresa, New Mexico seems to be doing just the opposite. As you listen to the National Public Radio (NPR) broadcast, do the following:

• Create a fishbone map of the situation.
• Identify the stakeholders involved with each cause and identify who is impacted in the result.
• Select a stakeholder that you would like to know more about.

1.2 Define the information needed to solve the problem: After selecting the stakeholder you would like to know more about, ask yourself as many questions as you can about the point of view you will represent. Use Inspiration software to create a cluster map of these questions. Develop specific questions about your point of view to which you do not yet know the answer.Big6 # 2, 3, 4: Focus Inquiry and Investigation (Task Definition to Information Seeking Strategy, Location & Access and Use of Information)

2.1 Brainstorm possible sources of information: After you have done a Web search on your topic, organize the possible sources in a chart, like the one below. Use the chart to compare and contrast sources of information and to gather information for the questions you've written. Be sure to use citation guidelines for any information you find.

2.2 Selecting the best sources: Look at your chart and decide which sources you will use to respond to your questions.Big6 #5 - Support Problem Resolution (Synthesis)

5.1 Organize information from multiple sources: Once again, a graphic organizer can help with this task. Create a spider map that deals with your stakeholder questions and summarizes the information you have found to answer your questions. This will ensure that you include all of the important information that you have collected, and will help to illustrate the relationships between ideas. 

Next, develop a problem/solution map to show solutions from your point of view, what you think the results will be, and how these results will affect the overall situation. This is where the point of view of the stakeholder is particularly important÷keep in mind what your group will think is a good idea, and what solutions the members of the group would be opposed to. 

Finally, share your information with your team (the other stakeholders) and then create a Venn diagram to show how the different points of view are similar and different. This will give you the information that you need to develop a problem/solution map that includes the ideas of all members of your group.

5.2 Present the information: Now that you have analyzed the results of your research, develop a multimedia presentation. Using eight slides, address the major points of your group's problem/solution map, such as:

• Title of your presentation and list of Group Members
• What's the problem?
• Why is this a problem?
• Who are the stakeholders?
• What are some of the attempted solutions and their results? (use a different slide for each solution and result).
• What do you see as the end result of these problems/solutions?
• List your references.
• Reflect on your success as a group.

Working with Student Writers: Group Composition

As I mentioned in an earlier blog entry, one of the most valuable aspects of publishing student writing online is that it "provides students with ownership of when and what they publish, but also the opportunity to interact with a real, global audience." I mention this because it's important to note that errors/mistakes made are OK, a point Ms. Incardona was supportive of. 

Ms. Incardona and two students that allowed me to work with them

Tom Romano, in his book Clearing the Way, writes about the uncorrected errors embedded in students' writing. He says the following:

“I let them stand...out of respect for error and the part it plays in the process of writing. Human beings are usually messy when they create.” He encourages teachers to look through--not with a red pen clutched in one hand to expertly edit, but an openness to the possibilities of-- the messiness to the essence of student’s writing.

An openness to possibilities...for me, that's what writing is about and that is what most attracts young writers--the possibility to create a new space.

Ms. Incardona was kind enough to introduce me and ask me to share a few words. I had only planned to write with students during this sessions, so I had to fall back on stories and ideas I use to excite adult writers who may need help getting over the idea that their writing may be read by a global audience. 

Students writing collaboratively with Ms. Incardona offering feedback

This is essentially what I shared with the 8th grade students in Ms. L. Incardona's class at Heritage Middle School...Of course, I shared one of the most moving stories I've experienced myself, that of an older New Zealand teacher ("with lots of wrinkles and white hair" is what I said to emphasize this to the students):

Have any of you ever written for someone else? [Most hadn't, with the exception of grocery lists]. When you write and publish, you connect with other people who read it, who have thoughts and ideas about what you've written. When I was in New Zealand, I met a teacher who had never published anything online [we discussed what a blog was, and two students spoke up]. She didn't feel comfortable writing about her work in school, but she had a garden that she loved to work in. So, she decided to write about that garden. 

She never imagined that her writing about the garden in HER backyard would be very interesting, but to her surprise, someone started leaving comments on her blog. Someone was interested! It was a university professor who had, to the teacher's astonishment,studied gardens and had noticed something. This was the beginning of a conversation. 

Imagine taking something that you see as ordinary, no big deal, and then sharing it with someone else who thinks it is incredible! How would that make you feel? That's why I would like to invite you to share your writing online. Would you like to do that?

With that introduction aside, Ms. Incardona set the lesson in motion about writing a myth. Earlier in the week, students had been introduced to the characteristics of mythology. They had the opportunity to read examples of myths (mentor texts, a term, BTW, I hadn't heard until earlier this week from Jennifer Kasper and Leticia Garcia...in my day, we just called them examples of writing to emulate and adapt from) and analyze their characteristics. 

Since I had missed that class discussion, and to set myself up as a fellow writer who was NOT an all-knowing adult expert, I asked Ms. Incardona for a quick review...and 8th graders jumped right in to respond. What a delight! 

Here are my notes:

After that, Ms. Incardona divided the class up into groups of 2, and I joined two 8th grade young men, Alex and Ralph, who had decided to work together. We brainstormed a bit as to different "Why" and "How" questions to explain. After a few minutes of that, I suggested we each write for 5 minutes to see what we came up with about our favorite idea. Of course they began immediately, and pretty soon, each had a paragraph written (so did I).

What I noticed about their writing is that their writing was more "non-fiction" than a myth story. However, once I read my story (shown below), the "lightbulb" went off and they saw how they could begin the story. Of course, their own writing definitely influenced the group piece they worked on.

Since we were to develop a myth story as a group, we began to discuss, combining our ideas. As Ralph and Alex discussed the ideas, they decided to change some of the elements from each of our individual stories. Instead of too much dark (which had been one of my elements), they suggested too much sun...this resulted in the earth having TWO suns, causing too much brightness, which was later adjusted from too "bright" to "hot." 

Once they started "writing," I asked them if they had a computer they could write on. They asked Ms. Incardona, and she began checking out Chromebooks to the students who were ready for them. Alex immediately logged into GoogleDrive, created a GoogleDoc, then promptly turned the Chromebook over to Ralph, who had volunteered to type:

From that point forward, the conversation was fast and furious, Ralph typing up what he and Alex discussed. As they got even deeper into the story, they went back and forth about the elements of the myth they wanted to include. For example, there was discussion about the badger being the protagonist in the story (that had come from my draft). 

"What's the most hated animal?" I had asked them.
"The skunk," Alex replied immediately. "We could say that the skunk's spray was the most majestic and wherever it's spray fell, flowers 'sprung up.'"  At this point, the boys were lost in the story and I stepped away to listen to other groups.

When I returned, I noticed that the animals had decided to take a vote and that the skunk and the zebra were the two highest. These animals were to go on a journey to find a way to repel the sun. "We don't want to destroy it," Ralph and Alex confided. I was amazed at this attitude and, gratified for some reason. Simply, they wanted to find a non-harmful way to remove the 2nd Sun that was burning up the Earth. At the end, when a student who had been absent joined them (Jesus), they solicited his input for how the myth should end.

Ms. Incardona was quick to point out the irony in the story between the skunk and the zebra. Why don't you read their story and see what you notice?

You can read their complete story online at the EC Connect: Publishing Student Writing blog, How the Skunk Got His Bad Smell, which is a new blog for publishing student writing in the East Central ISD.
Please do leave some feedback.

By the way, in case you're curious about MY piece that I wrote, here is what it looks like on paper and typed:

Typed version, and my 2nd draft (I had a lot of fun writing this)

The Sacrifice
by Miguel Guhlin

In a time long ago, when the sky lay like a dark blanket over the earth, the animals came together and cried, "Why is it so dark all the time?"
The birds tweeted, "In the dark, we can't find leaves and twigs to build our nests."
The dragons roared in gouts of fire, vain pride and arrogance twisting their words, "In the dark, we can't see how pretty and shiny our scales are, except when a comet flies by every 1000 years or so."

The bravest of the animals, the mouse, stood up and said, "Why don't we ask the old woman who gave us life what she can do for us?" Since the mouse's wisdom and bravery were known to all, the animals agreed. But, since no good deed goes unpunished, they voted to send the Mouse to ask her, she who was known only as Lucinda, the Mother of All.

The Mother of All groaned, the muscles in her back straining at the load of wood she carried in her arms. While she could have easily commanded the behemoths on land, or the leviathans of the ocean to carry her load, she valued independence above her authority. "What doesn't kill you," she liked to say, "makes you stronger." No matter the deaths of countless creatures in the dark, all yearning for light. "I'm too tired to give birth to a Sun. That will have to be someone else's job," she thought wearily.

As she tramped down the dirt path to her cottage, she espied a small, stout creature. "Ah, the brave mouse seeks me out!" After inviting the Mouse in for some tea, she listened to his request.
"So," she began, the problem is you can't find your way around in the dark with bumping your noses, eh?"
She snorted, "Silly creatures. If I'd meant for you to have sun light, I would have started with a Sun."
Leaning in, her gnarled hands clasped together as if in prayer, "I can make the change to the world you need but you must give something up, Brave Mouse."

The Mouse stood straight and said, "I'll do anything for my fellows." Not an ounce of fear stirred inside him.

"For all your life," Lucinda said, "you have been the bravest of all animals. Your courage has been a source of encouragement and a light in the darkness. Now, I am going to make it the light." The Mouse gulped.
"What will happen to me?" asked the Mouse.
"Oh nothing...except you won't be respected as the bravest anymore, and you will feel the fear others feel." With that, she held wide her hands and clapped them together. A powerful light appeared over the Mouse, and begin to rise into the sky.

As the Mouse found his way back to where the animals waited, he heard a strange noise in the trees. The birds sang of danger approaching, not knowing it was Mouse for whom they waited. Mouse only heard the danger song, and felt overwhelming fear, scurrying into the bushes to hide.

As Mouse continued his journey, he felt dragon-fear, the worst of all fears, and though the dragons noticed him not, he squeaked piteously until they flew past to glimpse their scales in the bright Sun.

At last, Badger noticed Mouse, fearfully moving from bush to bush, always afraid. "Mouse, you have done it!" he cried. "What's wrong?" he asked when noticed Mouse's fearful glances.

"I'm afraid," cried Mouse.
Badger said, "Come with me, dear friend, and I will show you where you can hide and live." From that day forward, the dragons and the dodo birds sang the song of Mouse's bravery and his sacrifice. And, when Mouse can stop shivering and be still in his mousehole, he can hear the echo of the song in his heart and recover his courage.

Access Restored! Scheduled Outage come to an End! #ectoupdate

Thank you for your patience! Major Internet/network services have been restored.

Should you become aware of any critical systems that are inaccessible, please do not hesitate to make contact. For example, the online professional learning server used to house Assessment Training at https://ecpro.ecisd.net is temporarily offline, but will be brought back online on Monday.More work is needed to transition all systems to the new location but this was the major shift, involving coordination of multiple internal and external partners and resources.

HISTORIC!

Today is quite historic for the ECISD, as it overcomes the most significant of the Top 10 Technology Priorities. Special thanks to the visionary leadership of Admin Council members--including Mr. Toscano, Mr. Selby, Ms. Hertz--for their recognizing this District need and working aggressively to address it! I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to the ECISD School Board for their support of this project, putting in place critical infrastructure for the ECISD's future growth.

THANK YOU!

Many ECISD staff worked to make this outage short and the transition of expensive network infrastructure equipment successful. Please allow me a moment to thank them and I encourage you to also connect with them to express your appreciation. 

I would like to extend my thanks to all who did the hard work of moving and working early and late, including East Central ISD's Richard Rapstine and equipment relocation crew, Virgil Kirk, Calvin Orsak, Mike Shedrock, as well as external support from Tom Grove (ESC-20), Computer Solutions staff (Art, Vanessa), and electrical contractors. Special kudos to Calvin Orsak and Mike Shedrock for working late on Friday night (10:00pm!), as well as starting up at 6:00am on Saturday with Computer Solutions, to ensure the District was up and working by 3:30pm today. Without Calvin and Mike S. working until 10:00pm on Friday night, the District may well have remained down until 7:00pm Saturday.

With appreciation,

Miguel Guhlin

Director, Technology Operations

East Central ISD

Publishing Student Writing Online

Image Source: http://tinyurl.com/he3vkb5

Publishing student writing addresses some of the key points Nanci Atwell discussed in her book, In the Middle. It not only provides students with ownership of when and what they publish, but also the opportunity to interact with a real, global audience.

A key part of the writing process for Writing Project teachers has always been publishing—the exciting moment when writing finds an audience beyond the classroom. In fact, the mere possibility of publishing a piece can strengthen a student's sense of purpose and spark a heretofore hidden passion.Source: The National Writing Project

Over the next few weeks, I'll be visiting teachers at Heritage to write with students and facilitate publishing student writing online. Here are some of the ideas discussed: 

Big Idea:

1. Setup a blog--an easy to edit web site--that will we can use to quickly publish student writing for a global audience.
2. Directions on how to publish student writing--from GoogleDoc, a scanned picture of student writing, and/or recorded audio.

Tools:
We discussed some apps for your iPad; here are some no-cost/low-cost recommendations; click the app name to install it (if you're reading this email on an iPad):

1) iScanner - This is free and provides Scan to JPG image or PDF. A pro version is available for $.99, which makes it easy to save to the cloud. Let's start with free and then see where we need to go from there.  

2) Voice Record Pro - This is a free audio recording app that can be used to record student voices. There are other free ones available for the iPad, but this one works reliably. 

We are aiming for small successes to build student confidence. If you are interested in joining in on this project, please let me know! Catch me via district email, on Twitter @mguhlin or on Voxer @mguhlin. Lots of great possibilities!

Scheduled Outage for Jan 8th - Jan 9th #ectoupdate

Thank you for your attention to this information! 

Image Source: https://www.cibmtr.org/PublishingImages/Network%20Down.jpg

This is another reminder that as of Friday (Jan 8th) at 5:00pm through an unspecified time on Saturday (Jan 9th), the District's network and Internet--and all data and services--will be unavailable. Please be aware that GoogleApps for Education for the ECISD may also be affected. The scheduled outage is due to the relocation of the old Network Operations Center equipment to the new building.

Should you need to access iTCCS or Gradebook, please find links that will work below:

• Gradebook - https://itccsgb.esc20.net/ECTL/Login.aspx
• iTCCS - https://itccs.esc20.net:3060/login

Access should be restored by Saturday afternoon. Updates will be shared periodically via Twitter at #ectoupdate

Webinar: Creating Comic Strips with Google Slides

Be sure to review Eric Curts' resources:

"Creating Comic Strips with Google Slides" webinar recording and resources now available: http://ti.apps.sparcc.org/videopd/20151215-slides-comics 

Creating comic strips can be a great way for students to tell stories, express understanding of content, give reports, and be creative. There are many tools available for making comics, but a great one is Google Slides. Learn how to use Google Slides, including many creative features, for your students (and you) to make and share online comic strips.

CINTech Update for Week of 01/11/2016 #ecisdlearner

From Make Thinking Visible

In this Curriculum & Instruction Technology Operations Update, you will find the following:

Quote: “It is not about the technology; it’s about sharing knowledge and information, communicating efficiently, building learning communities and creating a culture of professionalism in schools. These are the key responsibilities of all educational leaders.” – Marion Ginapolis

1. Enhancing Technology Productivity
1. TechTip: Security Tip #1 - Protecting Your Email
2. TxGradebook: Find a resource for TxGradebook online
3. VideoTip: 50 Things You Can Do with Google Classroom
2. Transforming Instruction with Learning Technologies
1. Feature: Facilitating Social Learning Experiences
2. LearnTip: Big6 for Problem-Based Learning: 5 Actions (Part 3)
3. LearnTip: Make Thinking Visible
3. Becoming a Connected Educator
1. Weekly Chat: Join the ECISDLearners VoxerChat Group