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20% FT4L Trial Project with year 8s: 9 April 11

Here's a brief summary of student participation in the  20% FT4L trial so far.

BTW, one student has decided to participate after at first declining the invitation.

1. Author study of Stephenie Meyer
2. Comic versions of a project on Australia for another subject (S&E)
3. Web sites: one on class novel, the other on cars and motorbikes
4. Dance video choreographed by two students with help from two other students
5. Comic on the game "The Sims 3"
6. Comic about Stickmen
7. Filmed interviews of Dance teachers: two groups of students in the school Dance Club
8. Filmed interviews of fellow students

Example interview questions:

1. How long have you been dancing for?
2. What is your favourite thing about dancing?
3. What does dancing mean to you?
4. What's your favourite style of dance?
5. Have you always loved dancing?
6. Would you want dancing to be part of your career?
7. Have you had any injuries whilst dancing?
8. Have you ever stuffed up on stage?, If yes, did you keep going?
9. Have you got any tips for people who would like to start dancing?

Also

1. What does dance mean to you?
2. Who inspired you?
3. Do you have a favourite dancer? If yes whom & why?
4. Would you like to take a career in Dance?
5. If yes, what type of dance career, such as a teacher, performer, etc?
6. If no to a dance career, what do you see yourself becoming or doing?
7. How old were you when you started to take an interest in dance?
8. What is your favourite type of dance?
9. What is your least favourite type of dance?
10. What’s your favourite dance music?
11. Would you like to be on So You Think You Can Dance?
12. Have you been in any competitions? If yes, what place did you get?
13. Have you ever had stage fright? If yes, who helped you overcome it?
14. Do you still do dance lessons? If yes, how many hours do you practice/dance a week?
15. Have you had a dance injury? If yes, how many and which ones took longer to overcome?
16. Have you ever done a routine with lifts? If yes, have you ever been dropped?
17. For the people who have an interest in dance and would like to start a dance career, what would you say to them?

Class Facebook space

Over half the students have parental permission to join the class Facebook space.

One parent has emailed for clarification and also given support for the 20% FT4L trial.

About half the students seem already to be on Facebook.

All students meet the Facebook condition of being at least 13 years of age.

Decided to follow up the level of student and parent support for the class Facebook space with more information about joining the class Facebook group and getting a non-school email address. Documentation available - email if interested.

Used this as an opportunity to discuss Cyber Safety, especially regarding the amount of identifying information to disclose e.g., date of birth and address.

Next, we had a class discussion about 809 English Facebook space especially the class Setting which is Secret. Only the members of the group - this English class and a few teachers - can see the group, who's in it and what members post and no-one-else!

First stage is for students to join Facebook, if they aren't already members.

Opportunity to repeat class notes about Cyber Safety.

Next, student needs to become a friend of the teacher.

Some students were worried about being a friend of the teacher because of privacy concerns. Teacher also was concerned about this.

Strategy suggested of being a temporary friend for as long as it takes to become a member of the group and then removing the student from the list of Friends.

Next, teacher adds the student as a member of the 809 English group and then removes the student from the list of friends BUT the student remains as a member of English group.


Finally, as the teacher, I'm starting to realise the implications of this trial project being open-ended. Unlike any other class project, there is no deadline to work toward, apart from when the student is ready to share.

20% FT4L Trial Project with year 8s: 2 April 11

Needed to write to parents/caregivers because some students were so enthusiastic that they planned to get started this weekend. I also wanted to ask parents for their support and permission for their son/daughter to participate in the class private Facebook space. By email, I invited students to register an interest in participating in the class private Facebook space. Have included both the letter to parents/caregivers and the email to students in this blog.

Letter to parents/caregivers

Dear Parents/Caregivers of students in 809 English,

This is a request for your support for a trial project involving your son/daughter in 809 English and for your permission for your son/daughter to participate in a private 809 English Facebook space.

The 20% FT4L trial project stands for 20% of English lesson time per week i.e., one lesson out of five, being Free Time for Learning. The learning challenge for students is “How would you use your time if you had a choice? Only two rules: Must be learning using English language and must be reported.” This is an opportunity for students to learn time management skills as well as being preparation for the Year 12 Research Project.

Why 20%? Here is a story about how the yellow Post-it stickers were invented. Apparently, the boss of a big company gave the workers every Friday (20% of their working week) for doing their own thing provided it was somehow connected with their work and they reported on what they had been doing. One worker invented the yellow sticker, which the company then produced, and the rest is history.

By the way, Google do the same 20% strategy and that’s how a number of their apps have been invented. Most remarkably, the 2011 Nobel Prize for Physics was won by scientists for a project they did for fun on Friday nights after work!

When the 809 English students first heard about the FT4L trial last Friday, they were generally enthusiastic and so we have been starting the planning. The purpose of this letter is to include you in the trial, especially because some of the students are already wanting to do some of the work at home.

For more details on the 20% FT4L trial project, please visit this site – http://www.classyit.blogspot.com/

A private 809 English Facebook space would be a way for the students in this trial to ask questions, try out ideas, get help etc. anytime and anywhere. This is increasingly the nature of modern learning where students can be working at home at night and on the weekends. On occasion, they will need help and online support will be faster than waiting for the next English lesson. Membership of the 809 English Facebook space would be limited to students in the class and a few teachers. No friends. It would be an opportunity to teach cyber safety. Participation would be the same as for the 20% FT4L trial project – voluntary.

Why Facebook rather than a blog or Moodle? Increasingly, students already know Facebook and so it’s a matter of adding a space to their Internet life rather than learning a new set of navigation for a new networking site. Also, the school has already conducted trials in blogs and wikis with mixed success and a review suggested that students can be reluctant to visit sites associated only with school.

How would we manage cyber safety? We would follow the advice in the “Parents guide to Facebook” article on ABC web site at http://www.abc.net.au/technology/articles/2011/03/16/3165555.htm

We would also discuss the relevant Facebook conditions of use at http://www.facebook.com/terms.php

If you have questions/comments etc., please email me or phone 0419 823 222.

Regards,

Michael Cowling, 809 English teacher. 31mar11.

email to students

How much would you be interested in joining a private 809 English Facebook space?

I'm interested in trying out the idea because we could share ideas, ask questions, get help in safety.

Only the students in 809 English, as well as a few teachers, would be members.

No friends because you can still do that in other Facebook spaces.

It would also be an opportunity to teach cyber safety.

Once again, it's voluntary and so you would need to choose in.

Please email me your answer.

BTW

I'm trying out the idea of a public blog where people can read about our trial project and even make a comment. It's like a journal mostly for teachers but anyone on the Internet can read it. Here's the link

http://www.classyit.blogspot.com/

20% FT4L - Free Time for Learning - Trial with my year 8s

Was inspired by Dan Pink's "Drive" which I read on the plane on the way to the 2011 Singapore Education Leadership Summit

Decided to have a go at a 20% FT4L (Free Time for Learning) Trial Project which I started with my year 8 English class last Friday morning.

Overall, the students were excited and keen to participate.

Here's my project log including student email replies.

20% FT4L Trial Project LOG

Fri 25mar11: Introduction

Gave everyone a standard-size yellow Post-it sticker and told them to put it in their diary or English book - somewhere they can find it again later on. Students then copied onto their yellow stickers the following message:

20%

FT4L

in English

Then told them a story:

Three weeks earlier, I was at a conference in Singapore listening to a speaker talking about how the yellow stickers were invented.

Apparently, the boss of this big company gave the workers every Friday which was 20% of their working week for doing their own thing provided it was somehow connected with their work and they reported on what they had been doing.

One worker invented the yellow sticker which the company then produced and the rest is history.

Google do the same 20% thing and that’s how a number of their apps have been invented.

So today students in 809 English are being invited to have 20% of their English lessons for Free Time for Learning - FT4L - which means the Friday single lesson after two double lessons earlier in the week.

Not sure whether the 20% idea has been done in schools which is why this is a trial project. Nobody knows how it will go in this class which is why it needs to be a trial, except that it’s likely to be a success.

Next, handout below read and discussed:

To 809 English students 25 mar 11

From Michael Cowling

Trial project: 20% FT4L

or 20% of English lessons for Free Time for Learning on Fridays

Challenge: How would you use your time if you had a choice? Only two rules: Must be learning using English language and must be reported.

Opportunity for you to learn time management skills as preparation for yr 12 Research Project.

You have to accept this invitation if you want to participate. You can chose:

• to be in or out of 20% FT4L
• how much teacher support you would like: from frequent to when you ask
• how often you want to report e.g., progress (for feedback) or at the end of the project.

Teacher duty of care still applies so you will need written permission to be out of the classroom. You still need to respect others, be honest and cooperative.

Some guidelines for what you can do e.g.,

• helping/teaching each other
• catching up/fixing up your work
• new learning e.g., comic, movie, podcast
• reading
• writing
• interviewing (Mr. Hopgood, Ms. Morgon)

Report formats - you can choose e.g,,

• hand-written or typed
• recorded as a podcast or movie
• designed as a comic or presentation
• entries on blog or class Facebook space(opportunity to teach cyber safety).

When you have made your decision to be in the trial project or not, you need to send me an email with this setting out:

Heading: Trial project

Hi Mr. Cowling,

This is . . . . . . . . . . . . . (your name)

I would like to participate in the trial project because . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (give a reason in about 15 words)

OR

I do not want to participate which means you will give me work on Fridays.

Regards,

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (your name)

Explained that students do not have to do the project. It’s a choose-in project by sending an acceptance email to the teacher.

Explained that if we have a Facebook space, then it will be private for only the students in 809 English so no friends. Purpose of the space is to share ideas, ask questions, get help etc. A letter to parents and a copy of the rules would need to be sent home before we started using the space. 

Next, showed web sites and YouTube movies made by the year 8s in Singapore at the conference, as well as some other ideas. 

YouTube movies http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=irfandarian&aq=f

Learning blog http://sst2011-s209admt.blogspot.com/

2011 Open Night snake movie 

ABC web site movie competition http://open.abc.net.au/projects/one-small-window/contributions

Japanese train driver movie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBbsQRSENuo 

Student email responses:

Hi Mr.Cowling

This is Georgia.

I would like to participate in the trial project because it will be challenging and something different other than the normal English work. I really like the idea because it seems quite interesting and i'm looking forward to doing it.

Regards,

Georgia.

Hi Mr. Cowling

This is Polly

I would like to participate in the trial project because i think it might be fun and interesting.  I also think it would be good to do something different.

Hi Mr Cowling

I would like to participate in the trial project because i would like to make videos for my own youtube account so my friends can se my videos

Regards Daniel

 this is Aiden

i would like to participate in the trial project because i would like to make a 10-15 page comic to make about stickmen with evil mastermind letter man.

cu from Aiden

this is Jake

i want to do the trial FT4L because i think it sounds like a lot of fun, it would be nice to have a lesson where i could choose what i do

from Jake

 to Mr cowling,

we are going to read one medium book each, 

and also do a project on the author.

from charmaine and eden:) 

 hi mr. cowling

this is tyson roos

and tyson sharrad 

we would like to participate in the trial project because it would be a good experience for us 

and will give us skills for later in the year.

cheers bro

love tyson s 

Hi Mr cowling

this is Emily

I would like to participate in the trial project because i think it might be fun to learn how to move a video from a video camera to the Macbook.

I would like to do an interview about the dance teachers with jess, if that is possible  

regards,

Emily knight

 Hi Mr Cowling,

This is Jayden,

I would like to participate in the trail project because i think it would be a very interesting project for me to do and i think i would learn heaps from doing it while having fun at the same time.

Hi Mr Cowling 

This is Ryan and Luke,

We do not want to participate which means you will give us work on Fridays.

Regards, 

Luke and Ryan

 Hi Mr Cowling,

This is Jess!

I would like to participate in the trial project because I think it would be a great way to learn new things and everyone can do different projects of their choice. Emily and i want to interview our dance teachers :)

Regards Jess

Hi Mr Cowling 

It is Rachel!

I would like to participate in the trial project because I can learn to manage my time and learn new things on the macbooks.

Regards Rachel 

 To Mr Cowling, 

Trial Project:

This is Amina, Abbey and Ebony, 

 i would like to participate in the trial project because we think it would be a great chance for us to catch up on work, read some more books and also for Abyy to write storys. So that is why we would like to participate in the trial project

bye man :) 

Hi Mr. cowling

It's Jordan

I would like to participate in the trial project: 20% FT4L ON FRIDAYS

Next FT4L lesson would normally be on Friday except that next Friday is Sports Day so will ask students on Tuesday about using the Thursday double lesson after lunch to get started. 

Once again, reply must be by email to me.

Next update in about a week.