MathCounts Competition

Eighth grade students from Marcy Open School attended the MathCounts competition on Friday, February 10.  These students are in blended Algebra 1 and Geometry courses through the MPS Online program.  While they were at the competition, students took individual tests and a group test.  They also participated in a speed round where correct results were rewarded with candy!  No one placed this year, but it was a fun morning for all. 

Online Spirit Week

If you are going to be at Wilder next week, don't forget about Spirit Week!

• Monday: Wacky Hats
• Tuesday: Valentine's day
• Wednesday: Sports day
• Thursday: Western day
• Friday: Pajama day

Thanks to our students, Jada and Danikqua for planning this fun week!

Moodle 2.1

Moodle 2 was released over a year ago and is maturing daily. MPS is on a road map to 2.1. Why is does it matter? Watch this video presentation for a demo of some of the new features as well as what we have planned. The 2.1 platform will greatly expand the versatility of moodle making it a much stronger platform for mobile and tablet orientated 21st century.

Middle School Blended Math Online

 Middle school students across the district are taking advanced math courses online.  Algebra 1 and Geometry are the courses being taken at this time.  These students are working above grade level and are using online courses within the school day.

Students in Algebra 1 are using curriculum from the National Repository of Online Curriculum (NROC).  They are able to use the interactive materials to learn the content.  Students in Geometry are using content from E2020.

Moodle in the Classroom

The online math department is working with classroom teachers to bring Moodle resources to their students. This means that students can access the specific content they need when the students need it. Here is an example:

Digital Textbooks on the iPad

We are working with teachers in the district to train them in setting up online textbook access for their students and put the newly adopted Biology book on ipads for students. This will allow students to access resources from within the classroom, as well as from home.

Below are images of the Biology Book on the iPad in both iBook and the Pearson textbook app. 

 

Biology Book Opening on the iPad in iBooks

Biology book open in iBooks

Innovation in Health and Physical Education

 Piloting Accelerated Middle School Blended health and physical education.

• 3 Middle school sites piloting in Second Semester
• Working collaboratively with Teaching and Learning and ALC
• Plan to implement in Summer School Fast Track and other sites as needed
• Providing PD for middle school teachers

Physical Education video journals.

• Students using cameras on mobile devices to capture and upload physical activity for Fitness for Life courses.

Integrating use of mobile devices.
Online Textbook

Video created by an online Health student

Interdisciplinary Units In Social Studies

There are more than few projects happening with online social studies as the new year begins. Some are bigger than others, but I thought I would mention two of the projects I am excited about.

Above is a look at a  unit that I have been working on. It is a Moodle based research unit good for larger research projects like history day

1.) I had the idea of creating some interdisciplinary units on Moodle. Ultimately,  I would like to build a bank of units spanning across the social studies subjects. The goal is to establish a base of 3-4 units by the end of the school year and open it up to teachers across the district as a resource and a space for collaboration and sharing. I would love some ideas that people have on cool units!

2.) The second project that I am excited about is using IPADS. I have been long wanting to re-organize the online geography curriculum into a thematic structure. I was invited to join a very talented team of teachers (both geography and tech) to work on integrating the IPAD into the Geography curriculum! Work has just begun to so I will keep you updated on the cool new things that come out it.

Moodle and the Flipped/Blended Classroom

If a teacher can put their curriculum online, than they have a way to present information to students before the students meet with the teacher, allowing teachers more time to connect and work individually with the students. The Online Staff has been doing this through Moodle since 2006. As other teachers become more interested in using a flipped, or blended model of instruction in their classes, we at Online are training and working alongside district teachers in the creation of online curriculum and use of online tools.

 

Why use Moodle?
Moodle allows

• teachers to upload and post their own coursework, multimedia and assignments for students to access online.
• teachers to link to video and web resources, directing student learning.
• teachers to access and grade student work from anywhere.
• password protection for students and the keeping of student work, comments and connections within MPS.
• the capability to be a single system for:
• Instruction
• Assessment
• Grades
• Attendance

A Moodle class available for use in a blended class

Professional Development: Tools for Flipped or Blended Classrooms

Current Professional Development collaborative work includes:

Tech Academy courses in partnership with IT Services. The online staff has systematically offered beginning, intermediate and advanced classes in using the Moodle framework to present coursework and deliver curriculum over the last five+ years.

We also offer ongoing technical support to teachers working to develop Moodle class sites to be used within the traditional classroom setting. These courses are designed to increase teacher comfort with a learning management system, that is suitable for use in a blended, or flipped classroom. The use of Moodle by district teachers also furthers the development of curriculum cross district, and creates a method of storing and sharing of learning tools.

The Reader Workshop Moodle site was developed by Mary Lillestol, MPS Middle School Reading Specialist.

screenshot of the Middle School Reader Workshop Moodle

Staff at Online have assisted Mary with the the setting the courses up for teachers to use, as well as in the training of teachers in the management and use of the Moodle course with middle school reading students. This course allows district reading teachers to connect individually with students, allows students to experience real life writing activities, and enables the work in the classroom to continue at home.


Science
Because of the new science class sequence, there is a need to increase the number of MPS teachers having a physics license. We have developed an online Moodle course for teachers to study through, who are going to be adding their physics license. This allows them to learn how students use our online and blended material and lets them have exposure to our online science content. We are also meeting with the teachers in person to explain how to use the flipped/blended model as a student would.

This Video explains the PD for teachers getting their Physics license.


Phyiscs Moodle PD movie 

The MPS Online Science Staff are are also planning a blended model Physical Science class that would allow team teaching in a blended / flipped model to best use the resources and staff in the district. This work includes the creation of flipped and blended course materials using Moodle and other online resources. The training is both virtual and face-to-face, with the ultimate goal being the ability of teachers to use the materials in their own classrooms, maximizing the use of instructional time, and capturing student interest.


This image below is our first version of a work flow for the team teaching Physical Science 11-12th grade class. 

Work-flow for blended physical science

STEM Expo

The MPS Online teachers had the opportunity to attend the district's STEM Expo (Science Technology Engineering Math).  Many of our middle school online students were there, so it was great to connect with them.  

Students were able to meet professionals who work in these fields, watch some "experiments" done by U of M Chemists and explore various booths.  A few well known folks even showed up for the afternoon.  Here is a picture of one of my students with R.T. Rybak.

Welcome to MPS Online - the BLOG!

MPS Online offers a wide variety of high school level courses. We are excited about our program and we hope to highlight some of what we are doing through this blog. Thanks for taking a look!