Virtual Learning Project/Plan of Implementation

Overview

At the Kodiak Island Virtual Learning Conference I was involved primarily with the America Bridge Project overview, which set up some large longer-term potentials that I will explore this Fall with other teachers and administrators. During our September district inservice I will spend some time connecting and speaking with our new superintendent and technology teachers about specific project that might work in Tununak including nanotechnology in agriculture and coastal mapping using unmanned aircraft. I will also be in contact with Ron Fortunato, the trainer and presenter of the America Bridge overview. According to Ron it takes three years to train teachers for this type of project.  

On the other hand, it allows teachers to take on a new role and in some cases they become more like consultants or project managers. Teachers become learners and mentors are sought from the community at large. America Bridge goals that will be integrated into the project over time are: 1) Economic development with an educational mission, 2) Capacity building, 3) Rapid prototyping, and 4) Development of a statewide and international Project Based Learning (PBL) curriculum (see http://www.trilliumlearning.com/AmericaBridge/).

Because America Bridge implementation will require further research and collaboration this Implementation Plan will focus on a classroom hydroponics project that I have already funded using the crowdsourcing platform Donorschoose.org. I will use some of the ideas I learned at the conference to create structure for this project.

Implementation and Project Goals

This implementation primarily consists of defining specific project roles and recruiting students on a voluntary basis to fulfill those roles. Roles may also be assigned on a rotating basis. Students with experience in various roles will act as mentors to students learning a new role. As a teacher, my role will be something like a project manager, but I will also be a student. As a willing learning in an area that I know only a little I will be modeling life long learning and the joy of inquiry. I have always enjoyed gardening, but have only attempted hydroponics in the last year on a very small scale.

Project roles will be driven by the requirements of our overall goal, which is learning how to grow food plants indoors using lights in order to supply the school kitchen with fresh produce. We will start by growing basil and leafy greens in the Fall and after the first plant cycle we may attempt fruiting vegetables like tomatoes. Our school cook has expressed an interest in using the produce if our harvest is abundant.

The Donorschoose fundraisers have provided us with two Genhydro grow systems, two LED light panels, timers, a PPM meter for testing nutrient concentration, nutrients, a PH test kit, and a germination station with heat mat.

Project roles will include students who: 1) initially help set up the grow system, 2) document the project online, 3) plant and transplant seedlings, 4) apply nutrients on a weekly basis, 5) monitor PH levels for optimum growth, and 6) monitor plant growth. Other roles may be created as needed or desired.

Learning goals touch on standards in Math, Science (Biology, Botany and Chemistry), Engineering, Communications and Technology. Concepts such and parts per million and rate of growth tie directly to the Algebra standards while documentation and communication enhance literacy. I plan to collaborate with our new science teacher to integrate the science standards. Other desired outcomes include enhanced classroom environment, student engagement and real-life application of academic knowledge.

Outline of Timeline for Fall Semester 2015

August 2

Start first seedlings in the germination station before the start of school. I will arrive in Tununak on July 30^th and will set up the small 10x20” grow station. This will provide a hook for students to see live seedlings during the first week of school.

August 13-14

Introduce the project ideas and goals to students during the first week of school and show them the first sprouts. Introduce basic ideas of hydroponic growing and gauge student interest.

August 17-21

Choose roles for students. Set up Genhydro systems for growing. Transplant seedlings into the grow systems.

August 24-28

Begin to chart growth and document the project with pictures and blog entries. This will also allow me to fulfill my requirement to respond to donors with an update on our progress.

September

Gradually increase nutrient levels, monitor and document growth and PH. Begin pruning/harvesting plants as appropriate. Continue to document our progress on the project blog site.

October

Maintain nutrient levels, monitor and document growth and PH. Continue harvesting from the plants and determine whether to continue harvesting the mature plants or to start a new set of seedlings for the second half of the semester. Continue to document our progress on the project blog site.

November/December

Repeat the cycle above with a final harvest in mid December. Breakdown and cleanup the systems for storage during winter break. Add a reflection to the project blog site.

Final Considerations

America Bridge projects as described and witnessed at the Virtual Learning Conference involve collaboration with ongoing research at a national and international level. Students have mentors from within the hierarchy of industry and scientific project groups to help instruct them and hold them accountable via weekly project reviews. The classroom hydroponics project is an independent learning experiment without such outside connections. I will make an effort to cultivate external mentors from within the district and in the larger community.

A successful project will not only be measured by initial learning and production, but by sustainability and curiosity that engages students to extend the project in the future. My desire is to introduce Native Alaskan students to methods and technologies that will enhance the lifestyle in the community and extend traditional subsistence practices.

Kodiak Island Virtual Learning Conference Reflection

Explain the difference in your knowledge and skills at the beginning of the conference and the end of the conference.

Before attending the Kodiak Island Virtual Learning Conference I already had considerable experience with some of the pros and cons of online learning systems such as Edgenuity and ALEKS math modules. Prior to the conference I completed my first year as a co-teacher for two high school VTC (video teleconference) science classes, and high school Robotics, where the content was taught from a distance and assessments were completed online via Moodle or on paper worksheets. 

My role in the VTC classes was to help with labs, printing and student engagement. In Robotics we emphasized authentic assessments and collaborative teamwork. I also used online tools to supplement my Math Lab/Computer Applications class. These tools included algebraic videogame programming on Bootstrapworld.org and Javascript programming using Khanacademy's animation curriculum. I spent the previous year teaching two sections of credit recovery at the high school level using Edgenuity in the computer lab at Siuslaw High School in Florence, Oregon, as well as one section of middle school Robotics. 

As a teacher certified in Advanced Mathematics as well as Information Communications Technology and Engineering Technology I am constantly looking for ways to incorporate more project based learning into my classes. I used crowd sourcing to fund a small classroom hydroponics project for next Fall, and I chose the conference presentation thread with Ron Fortunato on the America Bridge Project because of my interest in real-time project based learning.

The presentation gave an overview of the project methods which use a consulting model to build on-site capacity where students take on real-world roles that mirror those in industry and research institutions such as NASA Aims Research Center. I learned that these institutions are willing and eager to partner with educators and students when they align to real world project needs and supply useful data for global projects like shoreline mapping, tsunami debris tracking and global earthquake forecasting. I also enjoyed seeing highly engaged student working on the project and discussing their progress with us. Although students are very independent, they are also able to collaborate with each other and with industry mentors.

With ten years of personal experience in a global engineering firm I found the project refreshing and innovative in its approach to learning by doing. I also learned about a project in nano-agriculture that partners with Global Merit Group to research soil improvement methods. One of my favorite aspects of this approach to virtual learning is that teachers are required to learn alongside their students. I am excited to learn more about nano-agriculture and how it might be used in rural Alaska to enhance the subsistence lifestyle that has endured for centuries. Although I learned that teacher training for these projects takes up to three years I look forward to implementing some aspects very soon.

Explain how this experience will change your teaching practice, your administrative work, or how you support and guide colleagues.

My experience at the conference has opened a whole new range of possibilities for my teaching practice. Although it is not possible to say exactly how this will change my practice I intend to collaborate as much as possible with administrators and colleagues to create more project based learning opportunities for our students. I have targeted two America Bridge projects that may be a good fit for our students in rural Alaska. Since I teach in Tununak, Alaska, on the Bering Sea coast the coastal mapping project using unmanned aircraft is a very good potential fit. I am also going to look into the possibility of using nano-agriculture in our area to improve the tundra soil for use in a greenhouse to grow vegetables for subsistence.

These types of projects could change my teaching practice a great deal in the long run if they are successful in engaging students who might otherwise lose interest in learning. I am very interested in finding projects that can be used to integrate Native ways of knowing and learning into the curriculum, and that give students more a practical hands-on education that optimizes communication and engineering technology to connect rural Alaskan students to the global community. It is also part of my vision to engage students in learning that benefits the local community and models healthy and sustainable methods of food production.

Reflect on how you are a virtual teacher...even if you haven't previously viewed yourself that way.  Why do you think it was appropriate for you to attend the conference?

It was very appropriate for me to attend the conference given my history with technology and my interest in using global connectivity and resources in a variety of ways. One of the paradoxical parts of virtual learning as it was presented in the conference is that we must make room for flexible learning situations that allow student creativity and then get out of the way of their learning. In this type of learning the teacher may be seen as more of a project manager and facilitator. Students become teachers as well as learners as they learn to transfer knowledge to younger and/or less experienced students. I have played the role of a virtual teacher in my efforts to connect students to the real world using virtual methods. 

One student last year even came up with the question, "Why do we need school when we have the internet?" We have a significant problem with students losing interest in school when they cannot see its relevance in their lives and this is markedly accentuated in rural Alaska. And yet, they are powerfully drawn to technology. At the high school level especially we need to guide students in learning how to learn. Connecting to global learning environments is a crucial step in that process for today's students. The conference was a great place to expand my awareness of current possibilities for virtual learning.