A meeting of the Hare and the Tortoise

Schools like any large organisation by and large run on meetings. Meetings for the whole staff, meetings of teams, of committees, special interest groups and those between teachers, parents and rather importantly students. The total time spent by teachers in meetings is one area worth reviewing by any school, as it is undoubtedly a significant demand on their time. But what does this have to do with the Hare and Tortoise?

The answer lies in the pace of the meetings we hold and the conflicting need for a rapid sharing of information versus the time to reflect and deeply consider a topic. Often these two goals are attempted in the one face-to-face meeting but the demands of these two vastly different scenarios mean the one format does not suit. My team of five teachers has recently experimented with two vastly different meeting formats; one typifies the properties of the Hare, the other the Tortoise.

Recognising the need to share ideas, discuss the next steps in our programmes and collaborate around the needs of our students we have implemented a daily five-minute stand-up meeting. This is the ‘Hare’. We already had a daily meeting with the students which one of us led with the students to pass on information, raise awareness of pastoral matters and reward student effort and improvement with awards. This meeting has been useful for students but it did not require all five teachers to run smoothly. Now one teacher runs the students ‘morning lines’ on a rotating basis while the rest of the team meets. This meeting is quick, focused on sharing and items immediately actionable and like morning lines led each morning by a different team member. Not has this meeting allowed us to share what is providing the best results in our classrooms while ensuring we have a common understanding of our programmes it has freed time in our weekly team meeting where we can now focus on issues requiring longer blocks of time.

The ‘Tortoise' meeting is very different to this. This term we are implementing a new ‘Genius Hour’ programme that is a re-working of a ‘Personal Passion Project’, which we had run with students during Term Four for the previous eight years. For 2015 we will shift towards a ‘Genius Hour’ programme that students engage in on a weekly basis throughout the year. This change is the perfect time to review how we manage this style of learning linked to student passions and how we might best scaffold the skills required for both project management and an inquiry/design process. This planning process requires a combination of research, reflection, analysis and evaluation that takes time. It is also critical that each team member is able to contribute their voice to this discussion and we are keen to avoid dominant ideas taking over the conversation early on. The ‘Tortoise Meeting’ aims to meet all these needs.

In essence the ‘Tortoise Meeting’ is a shared document and folder established using Google Docs. The document at the core of this started life with just two questions and to this team members were asked to add not ideas or solutions but other questions. We recognised that this asking and sharing of questions was a critical first step. As time passed we shifted from questions to sharing response to the questions. Through the shared folder we have distributed readings and images relevant to the project.  This structure allows participants to engage when they have time and to take time to discover relevant resources. When questions are considered members of the team have find to seek out answers from the education community, to find examples of how others have overcome similar issues and locate resources that might ultimately be used with students. The use of comments has added a further dimension and gradually our understanding of what our new ‘Genius Hour’ will look like, what it might achieve and how we will measure its success has grown. Most recently we have invited colleagues outside of our immediate team to add their voice to the conversation and this has assisted in further refining our understanding. When we do meet face to face to discuss this we are able to focus on the questions that require the greatest review, we have a shared understanding of the issues and an excellent set of resources to refer to.

Thinking about the differing purposes of our team meetings allowed us to see a single weekly meeting was not meeting our needs. Thinking outside the tradition models of a meeting has allowed us to find better solutions and to apply lessons from other organisations. The result has been a significant refinement of our process and a team that is functioning effectively, reflectively and creatively. 

by Nigel Coutts

Public Domain Image courtesy Project Gutenberg by Milo Winter

Personal Passion Project - Reflections After Eight Years

For the past eight years my students in Year Six have participated in a Personal Passion Project during Term Four. It is a way to finish their time in Junior School with a project that connects their passion with all they have learned about managing inquiry/design based projects to that point. Over the years it has proven to be a highlight of the year and has produced amazing results. With a change to the Australian & NSW syllabus we have had to revise our approach to the Personal Passion Project and so now is the perfect time to reflect on the past and identify the lessons learned.

Firstly a little history, in 2007 Redlands was in the final stages of an experiment with Middle Schooling. Years Six, Seven and Eight were involved and the key difference between the middle school and a traditional primary school was that students spent most of their day in one of two classes; Humanities and Sciences. Teachers worked in pairs with one taking the two classes for Humanities and the other taking these same classes for Sciences. Each teacher had one of these classes as their 'Homeroom' class with a pastoral focus. This model worked well as the team of two teachers knew the students in their classes well and was able to share insights and perspectives about the students that might have been missed by one teacher working alone.

My 2007 homeroom class contained the year group's top cluster of students, at this time we partially streamed classes. These students were naturally high achievers with some unique personalities and quirky interests. By the time Term Four arrived I needed to offer them an alternative to the homework they were used to, something that would challenge their abilities and motivate them to show what they were capable of. My idea was to offer the option of a 'Personal Passion Project' as a homework task. I had expected only a few to take up the offer, in the end the whole class did and the degree of enthusiasm was such that I needed to find time within the timetable to allow the students to work on and share their developing projects.

The idea of a 'Personal Passion Project' was not unique in 2007 but was less common than it is now. Ideas like ‘Google's 20% Time’ were not well known in Education nor was the term 'Genius Hour' commonly used. How to best structure and support a Personal Passion Project was not something I had given much thought to as I really did not think many students would take the option. The result was that the class and I sort of fell into the project and learned as we went along. A key to the success at this point was the collaboration that took place between the students. Without prompting from me they were encouraging and supporting each other through the projects. This collaboration ensured that deadlines were met and that individuals never felt overwhelmed by the scale of what they had taken on.

The results of this first year showed the potential of the concept. I had students designing and making horse blankets, creating dance costumes, exploring architecture, writing books of poetry, investigating aerodynamics and writing short stories. What impressed me most was the depth of understanding the students were able to demonstrate at the end of the projects. The students had solved real problems, applied the design cycle and managed their time effectively; they demonstrated all of the skills I hoped my students might have developed after seven years of formal education.

At the end of this year I had the opportunity to chat with a Year Six teacher from a nearby school. I heard of how difficult the students had become in the last weeks of the year. As I taught two Year Six classes I could relate to this experience but only for the class not involved in the Personal Passion Project. For the class that had been involved the experience was very different. While one class was moving into holiday mode the other class was at their most engaged. Late in the final week of term we spent a morning sharing our projects and discussing the process. I asked the class 'should I do this next year?' and the resounding response was 'yes'. The general feeling was that this was the best thing they had done at school.

The signs were positive and when I shared my experiences from this pilot programme with my colleagues in 2008 they were keen to give it a go. This time all of year six would take on a Personal Passion Project during Term Four. This would require some additional planning and as this was now a core piece of our teaching would require more detailed programming. This was also our first year back in Junior School with a traditional one teacher per class model. This first year was a great success in many ways but there were also lots of lessons to be learned in a short period of time. Fortunately thanks to a skilled group of teachers and enthusiastic students we were able to solve most of the little problems that came along. 

The Personal Passion Projects have produced an enormous variety of projects, too many to list. There are those that recur each year and others that are truly unique. It is the projects that fall furthest from what one expects of a Year Six student or are least likely to be covered in a traditional syllabus that stand out. Projects like these:

In 2012 two projects stood out; one as it was the sort of project that at first I thought was going to be too difficult, the other because it was quite unexpected. The first student decided he wanted to build a laser CNC engraving machine from old printers. What impressed me from the outset was that he knew exactly how he would make it work and what difficulties he would encounter along the way including how he would control the movement of his laser in two axis and how he would program it. In the end it worked almost as expected and if not for some last minute issues with the laser being fried by excessive voltage, would have been perfect. The second was a project to explore low cost emergency housing for cold climate situations. This became a highly scientific investigation of the insulation properties of a range of recycled materials.

In 2014 a student in my class decided he would make a guide to creating an ‘Internet Start Up’ company. His final product was exceptionally well produced and based on detailed research into the strategies that would allow a company to grow rapidly and adapt to unseen or changing circumstances. His work impressed me but more importantly it impressed the many parents with a business background who could fully understand the quality of his recommendations.

Some projects have proven popular such as making a skateboard or surfboard. The most recent adaptation of this has been a student using 3D software to design his surfboard and then investigating options to have this 3D printed. There have also been a number of outstanding efforts at recycling furniture or creating new fashions from pre-loved clothes. Greatest success has come where the students have had a clear vision for their designs.

For some students the Personal Passion Project has been their first taste of real success at school. While we tend to steer students away from projects that involve a more technical ‘make’ aspect due to the limitations of working in a junior school; however, we have made exceptions to this rule. One boy who was passionate about surfing set to the task of making a surfboard using traditional methods of foam and fiberglass. Working with a member of our Senior School Design and Technology department he was able to do this. This was a student who had struggled to produce quality work in the classroom but on this project set and achieved the highest standards for quality. He learned that by taking a risk and giving attention to every detail he could achieve success and we all learned that the right project and the right environment will allow students to achieve great things.

There are also notable examples of where students have taken on more traditional projects but produced results beyond expectation. In 2007 one girl decided to write a piece of music and record this using software. For a school with a strong music programme this is not so out of the ordinary but this girl had little interest in computers before this project and needed to teach herself ‘Sibelius’, a highly technical piece of professional software. The result was amazing, was produced to the highest of technical standards and in its simple beauty hides the complexity of thinking behind it.

Another is an exploration of ‘Conceptual Art’.  The finished artwork demonstrated high levels of creativity and a keen understanding of the genre. What was most surprising here was that the student selected a project outside of his comfort zone while he could have used his exceptional talent for writing and ensured himself a successful and less challenging end of year. The final piece incorporated video, audio, sculpture, re-cycled materials and performance art in a way that described the artists journey towards maturity.  Read his history of Conceptual Art

There have been a number of books written through the Personal Passion Project but two stand out as examples of the surprising talents this can reveal. One was a book of poems written and illustrated by a student in 2007. This students attention to detail and desire for perfection bordered on obsession but in this project she used these personality quirks to great effect and produced a refined product of simple beauty and emotional depth. The other standout book was produced last year by a young author who wrote her first novel 'Aftermath'. She used her writing to develop a compelling story that draws her readers into a dystopian world that seems all too real. Read or Download 'Aftermath'

The Personal Passion Project has been enhanced for many students through ongoing reference to the Design Cycle and many students are able to fluidly move from one phase of this cycle to another as appropriate to their investigation. We introduce this cycle in Term One but the Personal Passion Project is the first time where students are applying this with complete independence. We display this cycle in our classrooms and have a copy on the website that accompanies the project. - Redlands Year Six

Graphic courtesy of ©International Baccalaureate 2007.- http://www.ibo.org/

Over the years we have continued to refine the processes we apply to the Personal Passion Project. We have gained insights into the sorts of projects that work well and which will cause difficulties. We have added a degree of structure while maintaining the required degree of freedom necessary for a personalised project. The results of this learning are presented below.

1. Be prepared to be amazed - The quality of the students projects will go beyond what you expect. This is particularly important when a student comes to you with a grand idea that seems too hard or overly complex. If the student has the right level of passion for the project and an idea for how they will get started they will more than likely complete the project and complete it well.

2. Don't let your fears get in the way - The students are almost certainly going to select topics that you have no knowledge of and don't have the skills to support. At this point it could be easy to let your fears and insecurities get in the way. The best way to move forward is to listen to the student; do they know what they are doing? do they know which questions they need to answer? what problems they need to solve? If the answers to all of this are positive, start looking for an expert to help when times get tough.

3. Some students need a push in the right direction - Some students will come up with projects that are too simple with answers that could be easily Googled. We introduced the students to 'High Order Thinking Skills' and built these into the planning forms students complete. Projects need to include elements of synthesis, evaluation and creativity with the minimum requirement adjusted for individuals. We provide students with a list of verbs appropriate for the top levels of Bloom's taxonomy and help them use these in framing their topics.

4. Some students design a project that has nothing to do with their passion - A student might have a passion for surfing and decide they are going to write a book about the history of the sport. The problem is they have designed a project where they will need to be a historian, a researcher, a writer and you know they don't enjoy doing any of this. Maybe with the right topic they will gain a wider interest in these things but most likely they will quickly dream of days at the beach.

5. Some projects are just not possible - It can be hard to say no to a project but some are just not feasible. A classic example is the student who wants to design a better tennis racquet by selecting the right mix of shape and materials. The problem is that the modern tennis racquet uses high tech composites and even with million dollar R&D budgets the differences between one design and the next is hard to prove. 

6. Time and Scale - Some projects will clearly take longer than you have available, others are simply too large in scale or will rely on the involvement of too many people. Setting manageable goals and working to an achievable timeframe is important. At the same time you need to ensure that the concerns over time constraints are genuine. Creating a detailed timeline with estimates of how long each phase will take is beneficial on many levels at this stage. For the students the conversations around how long the project will take can include some rewarding reflection on how they approach tasks and can assist in their development of an understanding of their learning style. Some students need time to talk about their project and unpack ideas socially, others need quiet time to think through the steps, some just dive in and fix mistakes and redirect their plans as they go.

7. Too many changes - One of the challenges for some students has been the ever changing project. They select one topic, discover they don’t like it or encounter a problem they can’t easily solve and change to another topic. A week later and the process repeats. Setting a definite deadline after which there can be no changes is important. In the end the students work out that they have to make their ideas work.

8. Just enough planning - Over the years we refined the level of planning the students were required to do before commencing on their projects in earnest. The initial version required great detail and length processes for developing focus questions and setting targets. For some students and some projects it worked well but for others it got in the way. Eventually we got to a point where the planning had just enough detail, so we know the students have an understanding of their project and that we can support them along the way. View our simplified planning template

9. Relying on experts and building a team - Many of the projects students have explored over the years fall outside of the expertise of their teachers. I have no idea how to sew for example and have been of equally little help to students who are basing their projects around dance or music. Across the school we have found amazing partners with the skills we needed and in most cases they are keen to spend time with a student who they share a passion with. Building a team of support around the project is key to its ultimate success. Being mindful of the workload within this team is also important. We have had some colleagues so keen to help that they become overloaded and although they never complained we had to be careful in managing the demands on their time.

10. Collaboration & Self Organised Learning - Because this is a Personal Passion Project we have not included team projects. Nevertheless collaboration between students is an important part of many projects. Where possible foster the opportunities for collaboration while allowing each student to maintain control of their project. The power of collaboration will lift the quality of the projects as students share ideas and encourage each other to go beyond expectations. Collaboration will also solve some of the problems with projects outside the teacher’s comfort zone. This year I had a group of students focused on game development and their ultimate success was a direct result of the community of like-minded learners they created around their projects. This is a perfect demonstration of students adopting a self organised learning environment as they connect with their passions. 

11. The invisible safety net – For the Personal Passion Project finding the right levels of scaffolding, teacher input and guidance is one of the challenges. We want the students to feel that they are working independently while maintaining an appropriate level of support. In many ways we are wanting to provide an invisible safety net that allows the students to take risks independently while having the support they require.

12. Documenting the process and ensuring time for reflection - Giving time to active reflection on the process has been important. Students need to be able to take a step back and assess what they have achieved and what remains to be accomplished. Sharing these ideas with peers is most beneficial and allows you to train the students in reflecting on their learning and in giving feedback to their peers. The act of reflecting on the process has also benefitted many students when it is time to share their projects with the world as their audience is as interested in the process as they are in the product. This is particularly true for projects where the process is not obvious or is underestimated by the audience. A good example is game design projects in which the finished product does not reveal the level of knowledge and effort that was required.

13. Real Audiences – For all learning adding a real audience for the students is critical, too much of what students do is produced for an audience of one. For the Personal Passion Project presenting to an audience in the end of term ‘Gallery Walk’ has been critical in ensuring the success of the projects. The students gain a real sense of achievement from this day and the feedback is always genuinely positive.

For 2015 we are planning to move to a ‘Genius Hour’ model with students engaging in a scaffolded programme of project management skill development throughout Semester One that leads into planning for and completing a Personal Passion Project across Semester Two. The difference will be that the learning experience will be distributed across the year, one hour per week. We hope that this fits with the demands of the new syllabus from a time perspective while retaining the best parts of the present model. Certainly at the end of the year we will reflect and share what has been learned.

By Nigel Coutts

CREativity in Science and Technology - CREST

Many students will recall their first real science lessons fondly. Recalling the first time they were allowed to use a bunsen burner, the excitement of switching from the orange safety flame to the blue flame, the sense of danger and the thrill of playing with fire in a classroom. The lesson was probably the same for most, 'heat water in a beaker and record its boiling point’. This lesson is probably one of the first almost any student of science does and sadly for too many students of science an indication of what is to come; science by the numbers with little chance for real discovery. But does it have to be this way? 

One of the goals of CREST, a programme managed by CSIRO aims to encourage an innovative approach to science. The goal is to reward students who engage in open ended science investigation and to provide a range of resources that enable their learning. At its advanced level CREST aims to "Advanced CREST enables students to experience the exciting world of scientific research and technological development through a structured program that supports them in choosing, organising and undertaking their own open-ended experimental science or technology project.” This is a very different scenario to that presented in the boiling water experiment.

It is worth considering the levels of complexity and opportunity for inquiry that exists across a range of science lessons. At the most simple level is our boiling water experiment, an example of a 'guided explanation' lesson. In this style of lesson the student is guided by the teacher, they are provided with the equipment and the steps they take to complete the experiment. In this guided explanation nothing new is discovered, in most cases the desired result of the experiment is already known by the teacher and in most cases the students. Assuming the students follow the instructions the results will be expected and each group will present identical results. This sort of lesson might play a role in providing practice with lab routines and procedures for documenting an experiment but resembles real science as much as colour by numbers represents artistic expression. Consider Blooms' Taxonomy and you see that in this case students may require their memories but little else. In fact as the instructions are probably displayed on the board or in a handout students are not even required to remember the details. How many science lessons are of this type? Maybe the experiment is a little more complex, maybe it requires the use of expensive even complex lab equipment and numerous chemicals but does it require students to much with their brains other than follow a recipe?

It is not just science where this highly controlled model of learning can be found. I recall my time in Year Eight and the excitement of moving from Woodwork to Metal Work. The class was presented with the problem of keeping the classroom tidy and the need for dustpans. Over the coming weeks we fashioned from sheets of raw steel dustpans that were works of beauty and all exactly the same. Years later my eldest step-son entered Year Eight and although at a different school he too produced a metal dustpan. I don’t have the dust pan I made, I don’t have the one made by eldest but I do have the one produced my youngest step-son four years later. Each one is for all intents and purposes exactly the same. I have seen similar projects in many schools and have even seen schools celebrate their technological advancement by having the students construct this same dustpan with the help of a laser cutter, surely we can not be too far from having them 3D printed. 

Grant Wiggins writing for te@chthough deals with this problem in an article titled 'Experiential Learning: Just Because It’s Hands-On Doesn’t Mean It’s Minds-On’. Grant asks students three questions that reveal the level to which they are cognitively engaged with the task at hand; What are you doing? Why are you doing it? and What does this help you do that’s important? How many students if asked these questions would reply that they are following the steps indicated and that they need to follow the steps to complete the task? Grant’s full article is worth reading and can be found on his blog, ‘Granted, and. . .'

The next level is a little more challenging and is possibly the first step towards open ended scientific inquiry. In this 'guided discovery’ model students are presented with a question and given some idea of how to proceed with an experiment. The teacher has an idea of what the experiment will look like and provides appropriate materials but does not describe the steps. The students have a degree of freedom although it is most likely freedom to guess at what the teacher wants anyway they like. In this model the results between groups or individual students are likely to differ and the discussion at the conclusion can offer opportunities for students to compare their methods to others. In terms of Blooms’ this model has students at least understanding the question, applying skills and knowledge to a slightly new situation and possibly even analysing the results.

A simple example of ‘guided discovery’ was shared with a group of scientists and teachers at a recent CSIRO ‘Scientists in Schools’ event. In this example participants were asked to determine which brand of paper towel was best. Participants formed groups and were provided with four types of paper towel, a plastic plate, an eye dropper, a plastic cup, a small measuring cylinder, a ruler and a stop watch. The task was to use what was on offer to determine with evidence and on a scale from 1 to 4 which paper towel was best. The range of options for testing were not huge and yet when sharing each groups efforts after an appropriate time of experimentation differences were visible. The discussion at the conclusion revealed that some thinking had occurred and problems encountered and overcome. An initial idea for a test method might prove unsuitable and the method was changed, suggestions for future experiments with different equipment were offered. Although n group had broken new ground and each worked within the scope of instructors initial conception for the lesson there was evidence of thinking at Blooms levels of evaluation and maybe the fleet ingest signs of creativity. 

The next level is where it for most teachers it gets scary and for the students it gets most exciting; Open ended scientific exploration. At its extreme there is no question, no answer, no methodology, no list of required equipment. In CREST this is the ‘Advanced Level’, in the real world this is scientific discovery. Although a lovely idea and something to encourage students towards this ‘Advanced’ level is not for every lesson, somewhere between ‘guided discovery’ and completely open exploration lies the sweet spot for the typical science class. The realities of meeting the demands of a syllabus will mean at least a degree of focus will need to be provided to the questions generated and explored. 

Considering an example, students in Stage Three study in NSW as part of the new Science syllabus might be investigating rapid changes at the earths surface. In a class aiming for an open ended inquiry students will be encouraged to participate in the initial question forming stage of this inquiry before moving on to developing ideas to explore through experimentation and research before drawing conclusions and possibly suggesting plans for action. Although the topic is dictated by the syllabus it is still possible to allow the students to play a significant part in designing an experimental methodology to investigate the relevant phenomenon. By playing a part in the process of generating questions the students are able to develop a deeper understanding of the scientific method from beginning to end and in doing so develop the skills they will use when planning entirely independent research and experimentation.

An essential element of this approach is the inclusion of elements of creativity. Students are not following a prescribed methodology or locating answers to a set of questions but actively engaging in a process of evaluating what is important and creating ways of gathering data and ultimately solving problems. One goal of the exploration of rapid changes at the earth surface might be to develop building methods that are resistant to the forces discovered during the exploration phases. Alternatively students might decide to focus on detection methods or the identification of areas most susceptible to rapid changes. In each case the results should be unique and illustrate the creative input of the students as they engage in a scientific inquiry. 

Turning to an ‘open ended technology’ task we could reimagine our tried and tested dustpan project. Now instead of providing the students with the plans and materials for a dustpan we present the students with a problem; ‘How can we keep the workshop clean?’ This might not be the most important technological challenge faced by humanity but posed in this way the students can approach the task in a wide range of ways. Some might even chose to construct a dustpan, others might decide the problem lies in the choice of materials used in the workshop and replace them all with a biodegrading plastic that breaks down to a harmless gas when exposed to sunlight.

Janet Ivey in her TEDx Talk describes 'AWE (Art, Wonder and Experiential) Inspired Science'. In this inspiring talk Janet outlines how creativity plays an important role in scientific exploration. Anyone who doubts that creativity is essential for scientific inquiry, who has forgotten that in the times of Leonard Da Vinci art and science were one needs to watch this talk. The key message here is that by incorporating art, dance and music into a science lessons sends a message that creativity is an essential part of science and forces students to bring their whole self to their lessons. Janet makes a powerful case for encouraging students to wonder and out of that to ask big questions that might have scientific and technological answers. AWE is the essential ingredient for creating students enthused and passionate about what they experience and imagine.

Sarah Wagstaff is a senior at Saint George’s School and presents a TEDx talk on how she discovered her potential for creativity in science. Fuelled by her passion for science and a quest for creativity Sarah discovers that the answer to her needs was in front of her all the time. With access to a Scanning Electron Microscope Sarah undertakes a scientific investigation into the wings of bees. In this TEDx Talk she presents the results of her study and describes the process of inquiry that went into her work. What is clear is that Sarah’s learning journey would not have been possible without the opportunity to explore beyond the script of a traditional ‘guided explanation’ lesson. Sarah’s advice is ‘be lost in your passion so much that you find creativity’.

For schools looking at ways of incorporating creativity into their science and technology teaching CREST offers a useful pathway. With options suitable for primary students through to upper senior and with a focus on building skills and mindsets required for open ended exploration linked to personal passions there is bound to be the right challenge for any student. The programme is supported by well developed resources with a structured program that ultimately supports advanced participants in choosing, organising and undertaking their own open-ended experimental science or technology project. Details about the programme can be found online at CREST - CREativity in Science and Technology.

by Nigel Coutts

Realtime Board

Realtime Board is a new service that provides users with a Whiteboard like page for sharing ideas, and collaborating on projects. It is highly visual and allows you to place comments  pictures, diagrams, documents, or notes onto an expanding board and then share this with team members. When you are ready you can use Realtime Board to create a presentation of the ideas controlling what your audience sees in a manner not unlike Prezi.

Realtime Board integrates with Google Drive providing easy access to your documents and allowing you to edit them with ease.

Realtime Board should work nicely in a classroom setting allowing students to collaborate ona project from anywhere and having the results available to all over the internet or via the Smartboard. It is presently in a Beta version and is free.

http://realtimeboard.com/

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