Week 11 reflections

Two weeks until Thanksgiving Break!

Let's see, this week we worked on Unit J, which is solving three-variable systems of equations with matrices.  Students have a love/hate relationship with matrices.  I try to constantly remind the students that the only way to get better at them is with time and practice.  So, we still have two days of matrices left and then applying those skills to partial fraction decomposition.  Sound fun?  (I'm sure to my non-math readers you are thrilled right now!).

I did something a little different with the first day of matrices.  It's how I've done it the last 2 years as well, but I'm not sure I'm happy with it.  Students watch the intro video at home, which basically goes over the vocabulary, set-up, general process, etc for matrices.  It does work through one example while explaining that, but it's really just background info.  (On another note, this is I think the only video I left as one long chunk of 15 minutes, because it's not really a pause/take notes type of video.  I asked my students for feedback and while many of them said it was just fine the way it was, the general consensus was to split it up into three parts based on the three pages of the SSS packet it goes over.  That will be an easy fix for next year.  I appreciate the student feedback!).

So, what I then do in class is go over two matrix examples (yes it takes 50 minutes to do 2 examples whole class).  Like I said, this is the way I've done it the last several years.  I figure as one perk it does give those students who really want that traditional classroom one day of normalcy.  However, I really wasn't happy with it this year. At the end of the day, besides having a headache from talking more in one day than I have all year to a large group, I just didn't feel it was the best use of the face to face time I had with my kids.  Now, I still believe the vocab/background video was important... and they definitely aren't ready to work on matrices on their own that first day.  But, why not record those two examples on video and let the students use their devices or our class iPods to watch them by themselves or in small groups at their own pace?  With me walking around to clarify, students would still be able to get their questions on a very tough concept answered immediately, but those students who "got it" don't have to wait around and sit there bored.

I don't know why I hadn't thought of this before, but I really think that is what I'm going to do next year.  My philosophy of how class time should be spent is continuing to shift and whole-class teacher-directed lecture is definitely not my way to go.

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I'm continuing to work on the WSQ chat time of class and am really happy with how they are going this year compared to last year.  Now, as I've mentioned previously, Peer Instruction has become one of my best friends.  As one of my students said in their weekly reflection,

The beloved peer instructions
I<3peerinstructions4ever

 However, we don't do that every day.  On other days, students have some sort of "task" to complete for their discussion to hold them accountable.  This week, it was as simple as:

• Mon - Concept 1 - linear systems. Peer Instruction
• Tues - Concept 2 - non-linear systems. Peer Instruction
• Wed - 1st day of matrices.  I gave them a system in row-echelon form and with no other instructions, told them to solve for the ordered triple answer and describe their process using as many vocabulary words as possible from the previous night.
• Thurs - 2nd day of matrices - Students were given a system and told to solve it using RREF in their calculator.  The purpose of this discussion was to make sure students knew how to use their graphing calculator to solve systems.
• Fri - 3rd day of matrices - Students were given a system to solve and the timer started.  Answer key was at the U and students saw how quickly they could correctly solve a matrix.  This was less a WSQ chat as a warm-up activity/formative assessment for individual students.

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The second grading period ends Friday (we have 6 week grading periods), and I have seen tremendous progress in my students with re-assessments and simply turning in missing work! I finally had to resort to consequences for missing work (our school has a progressive discipline program in place for missing assignments) and that sure motivated the students.  Red (missing) assignments and 0's in the gradebook started disappearing very quickly!  This also means students' grades went up a lot.  I guess they just didn't understand how much little assignments can affect their grade.

I am happy to say that I have 1/2 the number of F's in my struggling 5th period class as I did the first grading period.  Yay for them!

I sent home "Good news texts" to any parents who had given me their number (from my teaching Google Voice number).  That was fun for me and fun for them.  I wish I had all the parents, but not everyone texts and not everyone said it was okay... One student's favorite part of the week?

Reassessing on Unit I and getting an A. My mom was so proud when she told me about the good news text!

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I still send out the weekly survey for reflection and feedback.  I only get between 3-5 responses (out of 105) a week, but it's still good.  I'll send out a more formal one come the end of the semester.

One of the questions I asked this week was about which activities help them the most in class and why.  Here was one student's response:

Video lessons: I can pause, rewatch, skip ahead to see if I got the correct answers.
SSS packets: goes hand in hand with video lessons, very helpful tool.
PQ problems: they help me see if I truly understood the concept and if I didn't, I could always ask for help since the PQ problems are on the quiz, and those problems are going to be on test.
WSQ chat activities: allows a chance to clear things up
"U" small groups: if there's something little you need help with like how to properly use your calculator you can get a quick little tutorial

 

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On a side note, I tried a little peer instruction with my 6th period Algebra 1 class on Thursday.  It actually went (fairly) well.  It helped to get students out of their seats and helping each other.  A lot more monitoring for off task behavior and a much tighter timeline between questions is needed since they are much more immature and unfocused, but still a positive activity to try again.

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We've got a 4 day week, a 5 day week, and then a week off for Thanksgiving!

I'm thankful for the opportunity to share, and for my PLN, especially the CheeseBucket Posse of Cheryl, Andrew, and Karl, who have been there for me through thick and thin, especially right around this time last year.  Love you guys!

Week 8 - I love Peer Instruction!

Seriously, I do!  It really has made the WSQ chat time of class so much more valuable and focused than anything I've done in years past.  (I posted about it a few weeks ago here).  The students really seem to enjoy it as well, and find it very beneficial.

One thing I tried out this week (we did Peer Instruction on Thursday and Friday this week) was purposely picking problems that went one step beyond what I taught on the video.  This helped to challenge every student and provided for some great conversation both as a class and in groups.

I also feel it provides a little bit of that teacher-instruction that some of my students are still craving as I'm weaning them off the traditional classroom.  (Even though in peer instruction, I am really not doing any instruction myself, I'm simply putting the problem on the screen, timing them, and asking for votes... but for some reason just having me lead the activity makes them feel like "old times")  Keep them happy = they work harder for you!

When I put a problem up on the screen, I always give between 2-3 minutes for students to answer them individually.  When I ask for answers, there are several options, and what I do with each option.  The second part of this peer instruction time takes another 2-4 minutes, depending on the problem.

• All the students (or all but 2-3) get it right - I tell the students who still don't quite get it to put a * by it, and when the WSQ chat is over they will come to the U and I will go over it with them.
• 10 or so kids don't get it right - We review the problem orally as a class, which provides those kids a little more time to finish (sometimes they don't have it right because they need more time), and gives them that hint they need.  If they still don't quite get it, they will come to the U after the WSQ chat time.
• 1/2 the class doesn't get it right - All the students who get it right stand up, and go help somebody who is sitting.  Once that student understands, they also stand up and go find somebody to help.  Once everyone, or all but 2-3 students, are standing, I ask them to return to their seats. Same as before, if a student still doesn't quite get it, they are asked to put a * and come to the U.
• Only 6-10 kids get it right - The students who got it right stand up and each of them go to a table or 1/2 of a table and work with a small group of students.  Once students get the right answer, they stand up and join in on the helping.
• Nobody gets it right - I begin the problem on the board and clarify some misunderstandings or misconceptions that I sense they are having.  I don't solve it all the way, but give them another minute or two after I've done the first few steps.  We then "vote" again and see where we are at.

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• I did have a student who wanted to try the "flipped" "flipped classroom".  Meaning, because of her schedule, she wanted to watch the videos in class and do the practice at home.  I was more than willing to have her try it out if she thought it would help.  She did for a couple of days and then I noticed her working back with the group.  She said that she found it to actually be more time consuming and would rather do it the "real" flipped classroom way.  I'm glad she had the opportunity to experience that, sometimes I think our students need to experience both ways so they can see the benefits of the flipped classroom.

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• I took one of my class periods to the Mac Lab this week to do some guided instruction on watching videos.  Yes, we are over 2 months into the school year, but this class period still seems to be struggling.  I have half the class with A's and B's, and the other half with D's and F's.  Never had a Math Analysis class like this before, but I needed to find a way to help support them.  After a conversation with our principal, I thought a day in the lab might help them with some of their struggles.  Thankfully, Wednesday was the PSAT day and a "catchup" day in class so they didn't actually miss out on a day of something new.
• I projected the video on the big screen and had all the students open up the Sophia tutorial and WSQ form on their computer.  We talked about a few things:
• Be "FIT" when watching videos (see my FAQ page for details on that)
• Preview the WSQ questions before watching the video.  The guiding questions I choose are supposed to be the "Big Idea" behind the lesson.  I was greatly surprised to find only about 5 of my 36 students actually look at the questions before watching, which means they spend a great deal of time after the video trying to think back through what they learned and don't watch with a purpose.
• With that, answering the questions/writing the summary throughout watching the lesson as they pull together key ideas and see the "Big Idea"
• How to appropriately pause, rewind, and take notes.  I have structured times for them to pause, "Just Pause It" comes on, but there are also times when a big callout comes on the screen, or when I say a key phrase from one of the guiding WSQ questions... again, I was surprised to find so many of my students did not actively pay attention or pause during those times.
• How to attempt the secret questions.  The WSQ we did together had two parts, so we watch the first part together, and then they watched the second part on their own computers.  In between, they were to attempt one of the secret questions.  I was surprised to find a student working on the first secret question TWENTY  MINUTES after we ended the video!!  I reminded the students that the secret questions were to measure their progress and let them know what sort of questions they needed to ask the next day.  If they don't understand it, they are to write how far they got, where they got stuck, etc (NOT "IDK" THOUGH!!).  Then, they are to MOVE ON!  Again, I was surprised that even though I've mentioned this many times, students were making their lives harder by  not following my instructions.

• Students responded well to the activity.  Here is what they said:
• The lab idea was awesome but I doubt we will be doing that often. I still liked doing my homework there, I didn't need the extra help but I'm sure the other kids appreciated it.
• Hello Mrs. Kirch :) Today went good. I liked being in the computer lab and it was beneficial because I saw if the way I watched the wsq's was correct or not.
• Hi, Mrs. Kirch. I think today's class was actually very helpful. Before, i would just watch the videos without knowing what the summary questions were. So, i would often have to refer back to the videos while doing my summary questions. This will save me some time. :) Also, I think being in the computer lab is good every now and then because we can go over the material together.
• I liked it! It felt really productive, and it helped me notice the "important" things in the videos the first time watching them.
• i thought today's class was pretty decent but i still prefer to going at my pace (sorry children) in class. Being in the computer lab once in a while is fine though to get people caught up (???) in how to understand WSQ's and how to watch your videos. 

• I did find it interesting that two students directly told me in person that they liked the lab activity better because they like it when I teach them myself in person.  I was really confused because I purposely DID NOT do any teaching beyond the video that day.  I was just there to pause it, remind them to write things down, rewind the video, and model good viewing habits for them.  But somehow, just my presence in the room seems to make it feel different for some students. I talked about that with them, and told them that when they are watching it on their own, they just need to act like I am there with them in the room telling them when to pause it and think about things.  I'm not sure what else to say though...

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• Since the PSAT took all the juniors outside of class, my 1st period class had ten students (seniors and sophomores).  They just had a work day, and then I chatted with them for about 10 minutes about how the class is going.  I mainly asked them the big question: "Am I asking too much of you?  Am I making this class too difficult for you?".  That is the complaint I hear the most because I require the students to do concept quizzes, blog posts, use technology, etc - all things the other Math Analysis classes don't have to do.  But, I do them because I feel that they help students to learn and master the material, and to go deeper with it in terms of understanding the content and seeing the connections among the material throughout the year.
• The answer that those students overwhelmingly had was that yes, my class is tough - but it helps them to learn and they've gotten used to it now.  That was encouraging to hear on my end :)
• I asked them what they most time consuming part was, and they said it was typing up the WSQ after watching the lesson.  This led me to talk about guided summaries vs. open summaries and why I made the change to mostly guided summaries.  They agreed that the guided summaries help them to focus on what the important ideas are.
• One change I made based on that conversation was for their blog posts, they usually have to write 2 paragraphs - "What is this problem about" and "What is the trickiest part of this problem?".  I took away the first paragraph because they basically answer that question in the course of solving the problem on video or in their picture worked out step by step, so it was just one extra task for them to do.  I figure, if it's not hugely important to me and it relieves a little stress on their side, I don't mind modifying or adjusting it.

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• Reflection and feedback from this week (I send out this weekly survey, and get about 4-5 responses a week)
• I am now more used to the flipped classroom and not as frustrated as I was in the beginning of the year.
• It's better, but I'm still bad at the material even when I give my effort. It gets frustrating, but it's definitely easier to get used to even though I tend to fall behind in retaining all the concepts.
• The Mac room. It was mostly simply because most of us had already been finished with one of the concepts and as a student I know most people don't like watching educational videos at home but correct me if I'm wrong. It was interesting and a good day. I just love it when a teacher just explains everything to us orally and as a group like a regular class would.
• Thank you Mrs. Kirch for all the patience and understanding you demonstrate towards us cheesebuckets. I think this kind of classroom and atmosphere is just what I needed this year.  
• Material is extremely easy for me and I easily learn it. The computer lab activity helped me greatly by allowing me more fun time at my house. 
  
• On a scale of 1 to 10, I would say 7. The peer learning? I think it's called helps me best because it provides that one-on-one teaching and if you don't understand how to work out a problem, there are usually several others who also don't understand it and it isn't as embarrassing to admit. And then the U sessions right after if you still don't completely understand are very helpful. 
• It's still hard for me, but I like doing the WSQ chats because I know on the spot what I'm doing wrong or right

Week 7 - students seem to be adjusted; good results continuing!

This was an insane but really good week.  

This was the first full unit after my "integrity" speech with my Math Analysis students, and I continually tried to emphasize "Do the work to learn and master the material, not to get the signature and the points."  I think it went fairly well.  I'm obviously concerned that students won't be able to self-evaluate very well at this point and will end up doing poorly on the test.  But, I think that lesson is best learned through experience.

They did have another test this week (Unit G) and did AMAZING!  See pie charts of my class results here.  It was a pretty tough test on analyzing the parts of rational functions, but students all said they thought it was easier than they expected because of the practice they did.

Looking at how my students have been performing this year, the last two units (F and G) have been VERY good. Units A-D were review units that they did over the summer, and E was our first "real" unit.  I chatted with one of my classes about it and they made a conjecture that F and G have been better because they were more adjusted to the flipped classroom at that point.  E was tough because it was the first real unit and they were still trying to figure out what to expect in my class.  Hopefully that conjecture is true and it will continue!

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On Wednesday I had the privilege of presenting at Chapman University in one of their Teacher Ed classes about Flipped Learning.  It was awesome to see so many passionate and excited teachers with so many great questions about the flipped classroom and its implementation.

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Speaking of presentations, I've got a lot coming up!  Please feel free to sign up and join me (both are FREE!):

1. Flipped Learning in Math and the Common Core - Webinar presented by EdWeb.Net and the Flipped Learning Network
2. Flipping with Kirch - Webinar presented by Sophia.org

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I wrote in a previous post about my explorations with Peer Instruction as a part of my WSQ chats (thanks to Troy Faulkner for commenting about his recent appearance on Jon Bergmann's podcast "The Flip Side" talking about Peer Instruction, find it here!).  I also tried a modified version of what I described on Friday.  Instead of doing it whole-class, each student was given a half-sheet of paper with 7 problems on it (w/ multiple choice answers).  They were given 2 minutes to solve them all (they were quick and easy log problems).  At the end of the two minutes, they all had to put their pencils down.  I had each group choose a group leader, whose basic role was to lead the group in going over the answers and then explaining the right answers to anyone who did not get it right.  I then went around and checked their "scores" and checked in with any student who didn't get 7/7.  I thought it was a nice change to the whole-class peer instruction method I've been using.

I came up with a tentative could-be inquiry activity for using the properties of logs to develop the properties for expanding and condensing logs.  It's too late to use as an inquiry this year (students are watching the video this weekend going over the laws), but I'm going to use it as a WSQ chat activity on Monday instead.  You can see the worksheet I made here.  We'll see how it goes.  I want students to see that using the properties they already know (converting from logarithmic to exponential form, change of base formula, etc) they can actual derive the product, quotient, and power properties used in expanding and condensing.

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I've talked over my ideas for flipping my "Course 1" (algebra 1) Common Core course with another teacher and think I have some better ideas for what I want to do.  Now I just have to find the time to record the videos!  Basically, I want to take any of the mini direct instruction lessons that are needed and put those on videos for students to watch during class time on our iPods or laptops.  I have enough devices for students to do this in partners (which I would pick for them, of course).  Then, instead of spending 15-25 minutes going over the instructions, directions, basics, etc, students could watch a 5 minute video which they could speed up or slow down to meet their needs.  I just feel like it is not effective at all standing up front delivering that instruction, even though I have smaller classes this year (35 and 28, respectively).  It goes against everything in my teaching philosophy.  However, there is still some instruction needed so I have to find a better way.  I will definitely blog as I am able to get started with it, which I really hope is soon...

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Some student comments from this week's reflection and feedback survey:

• The year so far is going great and I have adapted well to the flipped classroom. I even think I like it better than a traditional classroom.
• It is starting to get easier for me, know that I have gotten use to the flipped classroom.
• The year in the beginning was hard because I wasn't used to the flipped classroom but since I now have adjusted it really does help. 
• The best part of the week was being able to work on the assignments in class and being able to not only ask others for help, but give them help and answering their questions because it helps both of us. 
• My favorite part was taking the test and knowing that I was prepared for it. 
• The best part of the week was learning the chants for unit G which really helped for the test.

My method of using "Peer Instruction" for my WSQ chats

As I've blogged about several times before, my focus this year is on having different activities for the students to participate for the discussion part of the WSQ chat.  The old "discuss your summary questions" or "discuss your notes" just wasn't cutting it anymore.  I found my students needed some sort of objective and goal that they could be held accountable for and show proof of their participation and focus.

So, I decided to try out a form of Peer Instruction after learning about it on the #flipcon13 virtual conference.

Here is what I do:

1.  Choose a problem (or problems, usually 2-3 max since this is just a first 10-15 minute of class activity) that assesses a key concept from the previous night's lesson.  I do this on Kuta Software so I can have multiple choice answers.  I usually have several to choose from and then based on the WSQ responses the night before will pick a few that address some misconceptions.

2. Put JUST the problem on the screen and give the students a time limit (usually 2-3 minutes) to solve the problem individually.

3. Uncover the multiple choice answers and give the students about 30 more seconds to decide on an answer.  If their answer is not up there, they are to choose "E".

4. Take a class vote for each answer. I call out the answers and students raise their hands for A,B,C,D or E.

5. The next step depends on how the class voted.

a) If all but 2-3 students got the correct answer, those students are instructed to put a ** by their problem and after the Peer Instruction they will come to the Small Group U in my class and go over it with me.

b) If at least 10 students got the wrong answer or chose "E" (usually it's "E"), I have all the students who got the correct answer STAND  UP and find someone who is SITTING DOWN to help and explain the problem to.  Once that person understands and figures it out, they STAND UP as well and see if there is anyone else sitting down.  This continues for about 1-3 minutes or until everyone is standing.

6.  Students go back to their seats and we do the next problem.

Reflections:
So far I am really happy with how this is going in one of my classes and pretty happy as it's improving in my other two classes.  I love to see students helping their peers and explaining the problem, and it holds every student accountable for attempting the problem on their own and committing to an answer first.  I think it's a great self-evaluation tool for students to understand where they are at and a great tool for me to quickly see who is struggling.

I also love the collaboration that happens and the excitement of "talking about math" that occurs once we get to step 5b.  Everyone is actively engaged in either explaining the problem or in finding help for the problem.

I could see myself using this as a longer part of class period for some lessons; instead of students working on their PQ work by themselves or in groups at their own pace, they would work thru them in a peer instruction manner.

Week 3: Finally getting started!

This was our first full week of actually learning new content in the flipped classroom.  Routines are slowly being put into place and students are coming along at different paces.

Every day when students come in, I have an agenda for the day that looks something like this.  I edit the HOT questions right before class based on what I saw in the online WSQ.

We also review the WSQ expectations.  They were given to them in detail here, and summarized on this slide:

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My big focus for this year is having variety in the WSQ chats.  Here is what we did this week:

Mon - Students had a WPP for this concept, so their WSQ chat was to partner up with someone in class and to go over their problem, work with each other to make sure they solved it correctly.  They then had to post it on their blogs.  Below are links to the MentorMob playlist that they embedded on their blogs.
SAMPLES OF FINISHED WPP'S (I just picked 3 random ones of varying performance) 

Create your own Playlist on MentorMob!

Create your own Playlist on MentorMob!

Create your own Playlist on MentorMob!

Tues - Another WPP
SAMPLES OF FINISHED WPP'S (I just picked 3 random ones of varying performance) 

Create your own Playlist on MentorMob!

Create your own Playlist on MentorMob!

Create your own Playlist on MentorMob!

Wed - We had the "Polynomial End Behavior Dance" (I'll have to post a video sometime, but I am still waiting to get it from my student) and then students were given 16 polynomials that they had to categorize, describe the categorization on a sticky note header, and then answer some questions when I came around to them. (Gosh why didn't I take pictures!!).  I'll just say the dance was to Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" and it was pretty hilarious.
POLYNOMIAL END BEHAVIOR CARD SORT ACTIVITY


Thurs - We did a form of "Peer Instruction".  I picked two problems and gave students time to solve the first one.  Then I had them vote on answers A-E (A-D were real answers, E was chosen if they didn't yet have any of the answers.  In two of the classes, 90% of the students got the correct answer to the first one within the time frame.  So, the students who didn't were told to come to the U after the WSQ chat time (which they did and we went over it together).  In the third class, it was still split about half and half so the students who chose the correct answer were told to get out of their seat and go help an "E".  It was awesome!  Students were up and moving around and found someone to help and they were explaining it.  (Again, I should have taken pictures!)
The second problem I purposely chose to be tough and require something I didn't go over explicitly the night before.  I gave the students two minutes and then purposely had them vote.  100% of the students were at answer E, which gave me the opportunity to explain that imaginary and irrational zeroes have to come in conjugate pairs.  Then I gave them a few more minutes to finish the problem and had them vote again.  Students who had it right moved on to the practice work, and students who were still struggling got help on finishing it correctly.
PEER INSTRUCTION PROBLEMS (I chose several in advance and then based on their WSQ responses chose the two - one from each concept - that I knew would be most beneficial to students.

Fri - We did a whole class activity on sketching polynomials based simply on their zeroes/multiplicities and end behavior.  I put up a problem and students worked in groups to draw it.  For the first problem, I purposely left out the end behavior and let students struggle for about a minute until a few raised their hands and told me I needed to give them more information.
Then, students had to create their own 4th degree polynomial by starting with the zeroes and working backwards.  They were guided through the beginning and then in their groups had to work together to discuss and finish figuring it out.
SAMPLES OF FINISHED STUDENT PROBLEMS
(it's due Tuesday, so only 1 has been turned in so far)
Example 1

On Monday, they are going to do a card chain activity with polynomials.  You can see that activity here.

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I am having students submit their HOT questions both on the google form and write it on their SSS.  So, in the morning I skim through and pick out 2-3 questions that are repeated often to decide on what needs to be focused on that day.  Because they have them also written on their SSS, as I walk around that day, I can glance at the questions and make sure we have discussed them and students don't have any further questions.  Many students are still not writing it on their SSS, but I keep emphasizing it so hopefully they will get in the habit soon.

If there are a few questions that stand out, we will go over them as a whole class before beginning the small group WSQ chat.

Their online WSQ form says this:
The part I’m most confused about is... - use this space to write your HOT question. OPTION 1: If there is something you are confused about, phrase it in the form of a question and write it here. OPTION 2: If there is nothing you are confused about, write a good discussion question for class tomorrow and write out a detailed answer to it. OPTION 3: A final option is to write your own example problem from this concept and solve it verbally step by step.

I've asked students to label their question as either "CONFUSION", "DISCUSSION" OR "EXAMPLE", and then I have some automatic color-coding going on so I can quickly and easily see how many of each I have and which questions are really the "confusing" ones I need to focus on.
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For students who don't come prepared, I have a roster tacked to the wall called the "not prepared" list.  If students are not prepared, they simply put today's date next to their name and get on a computer.  If they do that without asking, no worries, no consequence.  If they wait until I find out they didn't do it, then there is a consequence.  I have told students as long as it doesn't become a habit, it isn't a problem.  Out of my 107 students, I have one who has been on the list 4 out of the 6 days and another 3 out of the 6 days.  I've had individual conversations with those kids and hopefully they will figure it out soon that it's more beneficial to them to come to class prepared.  We will see how the next week goes.

Many students have figured out they can finish their work and start the next video in class with the iPods if they manage their time well.  Hopefully more and more students will realize this.
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In terms of adjusting to the flipped classroom, students are coming along.  The biggest struggle they have is with the technology... not the WSQ part, since they did that over the summer for their review work, but in terms of creating their blog, uploading pictures, creating MentorMob playlists, etc.  For some students, this is overwhelming.  I don't know how I am going to adjust it for next year, but I need to.  50-60% of the students did it without any help beyond my instructions (see bit.ly/kirchblogsetup1 and bit.ly/kirchblogsetup for the instructions they are given).  So, I don't think it's a good use of time to have the whole class go to the computer lab to learn how.  I had a few days after school and mornings where I was available with computers in my room to help, and that put us up to about 80%.  The remaining 20% (approximately) aren't really coming in for help and are complaining and then staying up hours upon hours at night trying to figure it out.  I have tried to be explicitly clear in class that they are NOT to stay up struggling with the technology; if they can't figure it out then wait until the next day to do it together in class, but some students are refusing to do so and continue to stay up hours working on it.  I'm not sure how to alleviate this issue, but I'm still working on it!

I ran into two of my students last year who are now in AP Calc and asked them about the blog stuff.  They agreed that the first couple weeks is really hard but then it gets easy and it's not an issue for the rest of the year.  I was glad to hear that from students who have actually experienced it because that is my perspective; it's just hard to get the current students to understand that.
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I have really tried to amp up my Parent Communication this year.  I am sending out a weekly newsletter update.  I don't know how many parents are reading at this point, but at least I am trying to keep them informed.  You can see my parent newsletters so far here.
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I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks as students get used to the way things work in my classroom!