Conference Blogs

David Warlick has set up a new service: Hitchhikr People can register conferences, suggest tags and Hitchhikr finds all blog entries that use that tag. It's one stop conference reading and viewing as Flickr images are also available. It's not perfect - I looked at an entry and it had BLC in it but it was not the Alan November conference, but it is quite amazing that you can get everything in one place.

So.... if you are going to a conference please share through a blog. Don't forget to tag your entry You can check the tags at the Hitchhikr site and even get the code you need to enter into your blog. Then you can enter the the url of your blog and ping Technorati, again through the Hitchhikr site to be sure your entry is found.

I'll be at Building Learning Communities mid July and I'll be blogging.

Categories: hitchhikr, conferenceblog

Games - capturing students' interests

Wow - I just visited Bud Hunt's blog and saw a student production on Othello. This student has combined his love of games with a class on Shakespeare. Talk about engagement! I am sure more work was done on this project than on a standard essay. Did he learn about Othello - yes. Did he make that learning his own? Unquestionably. Bravo to both the student and to Bud Hunt who provides a classroom where this is not only accepted but celebrated.

Fences or Free Access

I have been reading a lot of blog posts lately that deal with the possible legislation to ban access to a number of online communities. David Warlick's post: New Story Case in Point : DOPA provides rebuttles. Putting up walls will not keep students safe. It is education that will. If there is no access to the learning communities in school, students will go in their spare time from home when they are unsupervised. We need to make our students Internet savvy and to do that we need access. But I think it is even more than that. They need to learn to use the tools well. Insipid chats of Hi, what R U doing? can be replaced by blog entries or exchanges for deeper learning and understanding. Let them see the power of the tools.

Change

I found this quote on Possibilities ---- blog.

"You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete." --Buckminster Fuller

I have been thinking a lot about change. Fuller's words make me think about the conversation David Warlick has started on "the new story". Education has to change. The old model is for an earlier time. But there are stakeholders (textbook companies, testing companies) who rely on things remaining the same and I fear they have political clout. We have to get people to understand that a 20th century education will not equip our students for the realities of even the current world, much less the future.

In David Warlick's latest post he says:

Its not so much that technology has changed the nature of teaching and learning, but that technology has changed the nature of information and how the world works, and how people work and learn and play. Because the world that we are preparing our children for is changing so dramatically (and continuing to change), we must rethink the what, how, and why we are teaching our children, and retool our classrooms to accomplish new goals.

I think it is more than retool classrooms. Although I don't agree that schools will disappear (if nothing else, parents need a safe place for their children while they are out working), but they have to change into a more fluid place, where students interact more with other students of varying ages and where they is a lot of contact with the outside world, both virtually and physically. We need to retool our schools. This is a big subject and will need a lot of thought.

The art of commenting on blogs

I have just discovered a couple of new blogs, one by D. Kurpotwa whose blog, A Difference led me to his blog on mentoring. He writes about how to comment on blogs and podcasts and how important these conversations are. Another blog on the same subject is A Pirouette: Commenting by Lani Davis. Here are some of her suggetions for comments.

• treating all bloggers with respect.

• seeking first to understand what is being said.

• celebrating another'’s accomplishments.

• using school appropriate language.

• rephrasing ideas in the blog that made me think, made me feel, or helped me learn to let the blogger know his/her voice has been heard.

• commenting specifically and positively, without criticism. If I disagree, I will comment appropriately, politely stating my perspective.

• being mindful always that I may be a role model to my audience, especially if they are younger than I.

• making no reference to, link to, and/or giving access to any information that may be inappropriate for a school setting.

• asking at least one question in my comment with the hopes of continuing a conversation and deepening thinking.

• using a triple check before submitting any comment: Would I be happy to have my mother read this comment? My grandmother? My favorite teacher?

I think it is important that we encourage students through our comments in an authentic way. The more we can foster a larger conversation through blogs and podcasts, the more we can clarify thinking and learning. My blog reading has certainly led to a lot of reflection on my part. Let's get the kids involved too.

Quebec education

Yesterday I posted about how Maine educators seem to have their priorities straight. I live in the province of Quebec. I am happy to say that we do not have the same kind of high stakes testing. Many teachers would argue that we have too much testing, but we have a different kind of testing. What is being created are "Learning and Evaluation Situations" These exams include collaborative work and research. What they don't include are multiple choice questions. Then what is the problem? To do this kind of exam takes time. Teachers resent the two weeks (an hour a day) it takes to administer the exam. I envy the discussion Bob Sprankle described in his podcast of the Maine training for the laptop program. Here people are using the changes to curriculum as something to boycott for leverage in contract talks. The teacher contracts have now been settled, but the years of anger have caused many teachers to have negative attitudes towards what I feel is an amazing program. You can read about it here (lots of jargon - but the underlying aims are sound and exciting).

I see a lot of resistance to change. Bob talked about teachers going in to teaching because they like to learn. I have met many teachers like that. But I have also met many who just want to continue teaching the way they were taught. However, until society really values teachers and truly sees teaching as a profession with specific skills, some teachers will not value teaching either.

We have a teacher shortage coming up here. Our government has proposed as a solution - let students who are in their last year of teacher training go into the classrooms and finish their degrees at night. Or have people with degrees in a particular subject area (but no teacher training) go into the high schools to teach. What does this say about teaching? Is what we learn at university worthless? Perhaps if salaries were better the profession would attract more people who would like to teach, but need to earn more.

This is a bit of a rant. But I get discouraged and understand when others talk of their frustration in trying to convince others that the world has changed. But tomorrow is another day. Change is inevitable - it just may come more slowly than some of us want.

More Web 2.0

I recently listened to the podcast which addressed David Warlick's Telling a New Story. Wesley Freyer gathered a group of educators to discuss the notion of telling a new story. Today I listened to Bob Sprankle's response. He talks about education constantly reinventing itself.

He talks about how the new tools (blogs, podcasts) provide teachers with ways to learn and share information. The conversation can now take hold. Collaboration is possible on a global level. The isolationism is gone - teachers can enter into the discussion. In blogs and podcasts teachers are reflecting on best practices in a public way. Everyone can get in on the discussion. Like Bob Sprankle, I feel I have been able to receive incredible professional development through these and other new tools. I admit to being a blog adict (not writing as much as I feel I should, but reading). I have my favourites who I read daily and others which I sample occasionaly. The wonderful thing is how it keeps me thinking and reflecting on educational practice

Maine sounds like a great place to teach. Bob Sprankle talked about how in training for the laptop program, teachers were interested in how they would change pedagogy. The laptops were only the tool.

In both podcasts, there was a lot of talk about pedagogy. The web 2.0 only provides tools to

• help students create a purpose for their learning
• allow for reflection and assessment of learning
• build community
• continue the conversation

It is a vehicle for networking. Listen to these podcasts. They'll get your mind working.

Categories: web2.0, Warlick, Sprankle

digital stories

The more I look at digital storytelling, the more I realize the power this can have. I just came across an interesting website - Murmure - the Montreal version or Murmur - the Toronto version. The site has clickable maps. Each red dot represents a personal story related to the spot on the map. What a neat project this would be in schools. The students could create their own maps or use Google Maps to pinpoint places on a map. The audio stories could then be connected to those spots. This could be personal narrative - the students' own stories, interviews with seniors to find out what the neighbourhood was like, historical moments - stories of important historical events, a walking tour of the neighbourhood.

Interestingly, in The Gazette there is a 5 part story tracing the story of a house in which the author lives. An architectural plus personal tour of a neighbourhood would be interesting. When we tell stories we start to look and to see new things. Let's open our eyes and hearts and tell the stories.

Categories: DigitalStorytelling

The value of blogs and Web2.0

If anyone is still questioning the value of blogs in education think about this. A student who participated in a math blog has, on his own initiative joined the new math class in order to mentor them. D. Kuropatwa writes about it on his blog. Blogging is a natural environment for students. From Xanga to MySpace to other social digital environments, they are used to the exchange of ideas (perhaps not on a sophisticated level - but fostering that is up to educators)

David Warlick in a recent post talks about the Web 2.0 and what he sees as the important aspects.

1. Content is Conversation

Millions of people are talking now, and they are talking in such a way (blogs, wikis, and podcasting) that the world is potentially their audience. This is important, I believe, because in a time of rapid change, the answer to brand new questions may not come from someone who got their PHD ten years ago. It may just come from something, that somebody said, yesterday.


2. Content is organizing itself

Well this is a rather melodramatic statement, meant to start a conversation about how the way that information flows is largely resulting from the behavior of its readers. Aggregators, mashups, blog linkings, and other more esoteric techniques are causing us to reshape the information environment on a global and on a personal level.


3. People are connect to each other through their content

This one has had a personal impact on me, as I have made new friends through the comments and blog-passing of people who react to my ideas. Far more important is the fact that through these exchanges, I have learned. My ideas have been challenged and they have grown, as have I.

It is this interconnectedness that I think is so powerful for students. Kuropatwa's former student saw value in connecting to the new group. Because of the asyncronous nature of blogs this was feasible. What math student can take the time to go sit in on math classes of a course he has already taken? Yet with a blog this student was able to mentor the new students.

It is essential that we help students become thoughtful contributors to the web - and equally important that we help them become thoughtful consummers of what is available.


Categories: Web2.0, blogs

Is it a game?

I met Andreas Ua'Siaghail over a year ago at a computer conference here in Montreal. He spoke to me of some software he was developing: Pax Warrior. He subsequently showed it to me. It is a simulation based on the Ruandan genocide, with original film footage as well as interviews with genocide survivors. The job of the player (hopefully in collaboration with classmates) is to experience the constant decision-making that General Dallaire needed to go through. The player is given as much information as Dallaire had. Each decision may result in worsening the situaion or not. This is a very realistic situation in which you face many ethical issues. You can't change the past, but can you change the future. By becoming informed decision makers, perhaps our youth will make ethical decisions which may put humanity before money. I was impressed by the software. Andreas sent me a link to an interview on the BBC (only available this week) which is worth listening to. The item which precedes it on the show is interesting too! Have a look at what this simulation can do.

Cultivating Digital Literacy Through Blogging

I really enjoy listening to Wesley Fryer. He shares generously both his thoughts and experience. Some of his podcasts feature speakers at conferences. I just listened to one of David Thornburg talking about the use of Linux and Open Source software.

Wesley Fryer talks about blogs and podcasts as disruptive technology. It's not about transmission based education, but rather is a technology that engages students, that meets them where they are. Many people talk about 21st century literacy skills Cheryl Lemke in enGuage talks about digital age literacies, inventive thinking, effective communication and high productivity. Fryer contends that blogs and podcasts are a great way of developing these skills. Blogging allows for social discourse. If you have never listened to a podcast try this one. His passion is palpable. Check the links on the website. One thing that Fryer recommends is commenting on students' blogs, how important it is for the students. If you don't know where to find student blogs, Fryer has tagged a number of them on his Del.icio.us account

Engagement, relationships, storytelling - the keys to learning (Fryer) Can we make that part of education?

NewCon - Conferences

David Warlick just wrote about the possibilities of a new style of high tech conferences where we could participate through networks. I already feel that conferences are reaching me in ways they could not before. I have listened to a number of keynote addresses via podcasts and webcasts. But this is unidirectional. I can't interact with the speakers or the other delegates. The advantage is I don't have to spend the money to get to the conference and I can listen independent of the time the actual session took place. But imagine what it will be like when people can participate more actively from a distance. We have the technology - let's put it to good use.

There are already a number of opportunities for networking. I have occasionally listened to EdTech Talk You can either listen to archived copies of shows or you can listen live. When listening live you can take part in a real time chat with other participants - build community. The show features interesting people in the field from around the world who connect via Skype. If there is room in the Skype conference and a member of the chatroom has been making some interesting contributions, they may be invited to join the Skype conference.

Another interesting model is Tapped In, where educators can connect for real time and participate in a realtime exchange with other teachers and to get information from a leader. Topics are focused and the calendar is available well ahead of time. Goal: join a session.

The possibilities for connection are growing. The world is growing smaller - or flatter!

Categories: NewCon

Personal Learning Space

There has been a lot of talk of a blog as a personal learning space. This resonates with me. The more one personalizes a blogspace the more it becomes a one stop place to read, reflect and write. posting blogrolls on the site or the blogs you are currently reading and putting links to other resources you consult regularly, the blog can be the place you go to read the latest musings of those who you respect and a place to respond to those posts.

I like to use my blog as a place to hone my thinking (though I don't write often enough ). Note to self - write more and spend some time making this space more of a personal learning environment.
Categories: PLE, blog

Sticky Memory

I just read a post from Will Richardson on literacy. He talks about the amount of information we process now and it is astronomical. One point he makes is that aside from organizing what he reads through del.icio.us and bloglines, he makes the information sticky by blogging it (just what I am doing now). Another point he makes is that students, faced with this enormous quantity of information are going to have to learn how to vet it and learn to recognize patterns in what they read.

I too have found that writing not only helps me retain what I read but also helps me understand what I read.

David Warlick talks about the 4 E's : exposing knowledge, employing information, expressing ideas, and ethics on the Internet. Education will have to change, but as I said in my last post - this is not easy.

Categories: literacy

Time Flies

Well - it is a long time. House renovations are over and I can now get back to thinking about education and technology. I have been slower in my reading but have been listening to a variety of podcasts. January and the new resolutions......

I listened to David Warlick's podcast on his thoughts about education in the future and I have to say I am not as optimistic as he is. I do see a faster push for schools to adopt 1:1 computing, but will it change educational practises? There are some amazing teachers out there, but I find change is not a feature of many educators or the parents of the students. There is the attitude of "If it worked for me why should I change?" I have seen laptops go into a class and be used for writing, but little changes regarding how the teaching and learning is going on. A computer is not just a fancy pencil. It offers new ways of thinking and relating to the world.

Categories: education

I'm back

I took time off due to a variety of pulls on my life, but I have been listening to podcasts and reading blogs and felt I have to get back to reflecting and sharing, should anyone care to read this. I just finished listening to two webcasts from EdTechTalk #27 Back to Basics and to a conversation between David Warlick and Terry Freedman (show #25). The first thing I want to say is how generous these people are with their time and their knowledge. Many of us cannot get to conferences very often, but now I can listen to shows like these or to a variety of podcasts and hear what others are thinking and doing. If you are new to "Web 2.0" listen to the Back to Basics show. You will be introduced to new technologies. The show notes provide links for further reading. The conversation in show #25 provides a lot of food for thought. EdTechTalk is run by Dave Cormier (from PEI) & Jeff Lebow (from New Hampshire). This is actually a live show that is archived. Hosts and guests in the webcast participate via a Skype conference. Others can join by taking part in the chat room. It's not quite face to face, but it does give you real time access to some of the innovative people involved in exciting educational uses of technology - with education being what counts!

Comments on Blogs

I took a lot of time off from this blog and now I am back, trying to read and catch up on the many blogs I read. I came across a post in Blog of Proximal Development on Cliques and Comments. Here I find myself doing exactly what he described his students doing. Rather than writing comments within a blog, they often commented on other students' blogs within their own blog. Personally, I find it easier to do this. Why? It is less public - only people reading my blog will see what I am thinking. I have a sense that a smaller audience will see what I write and I feel more comfortable playing with my thoughts in a less public way. Is it insecurity? Is it that I want to draw people in to me? I'm not sure, but it just seems more comfortable.

Blog as Portfolio

I have taken a hiatus from my blog because of other committments so I am behind in what I have been reading. I just read Will Richardson's post on assessing blogs. and then at The Blog of Proximal Development: Grading Conversations. I loved Konrad Glogowski's description of how his class functions

"grading blogs (especially at the elementary level) has to be a very holistic process that focuses not only on the quality of their work but also on the extent to which their work reflects the context in which they work. I think that student bloggers should be recognized for writing as part of a larger community of inquirers. Some of my most successful writers are those who are aware of what their friends are writing about and who participate in conversations with other bloggers in their class. This is an important part of knowledge- and community-building, especially when (as in my class) students investigate and write about related ideas."

I can understand the need to assess student work but I do not see a blog as a portfolio. Although it is a collection of work, the student is writing regularly on the blog and is not making a selection of the work to include as in a portfolio. A portfolio should contain work that is selected for a reason (to show growth, to illustrate understanding of a concept, to showcase particularly fine work). In addition, there should be some self-reflection on the pieces chosen. While I find blogs excellent for self-reflection - it is reflection about ideas, not necessarily about a piece of work. In addition, as Konrad points out, it is a place for community building.

Building Walls

In the past few days I have read posts by both David Warlick Network or Netblock, and Will Richardson, Schools not being schools. Both talked about the issue of walls preventing students from getting out to parts of the Internet. I know many of my colleagues face issues with their IT departments. When are we controlling too much so that we are putting up walls between our students and their learning?

Through the Labyrinth

When I was assigned the job of creating a site for leaders and learners of ICT, I thought I wasn't a geekish enough. I was into the human side of computing, not all that tech stuff like php MySQL and all the Open Source coding I hear some of my colleagues discuss. Little did I know that I would be embarking on an adventure through a labyrinth that would connect me to an amazing virtual community of educational bloggers. They don't know me, yet, but I know them through their posts.

I have come across Bud the Teacher. He has been blogging with his class. One post I enjoyed, recently was The End, in which he described how his students explained their blogging experience to another teacher. It showed both that students can teach teachers, but also in reflecting on one student's response, it gave Bud a new perspective on his students' experience. I also am getting to know Bud through the links to blogs he reads. One link took me on a path to Nancy Mckeand.

Nancy writes a blog called Random Thoughts. Her post on Question #3 in which she responds to a question of Mr. McNamar (The Daily Grind) She reflected on whether or not blogs should be assessed and if so how. She quoted from Tyr who is a student of Bud. Tyr wrote:

Students, at the beginning of the class should explain what they want to accomplish with their blog as a final goal or as a 'major' goal. The occasional assignment/prompt from the teacher is fine to keep people on track and to make sure they have an accurate depction of what they are meant to do. If a student then does not do what attempted to set out for the class goals, then s/he will not receive an A, the grade would then fall into the hands of the teacher based on the other work this student has submitted.

Students understand goal-setting and reflection. What fascinated me was the interconnection of the blogging community. People respond to each other's blogs both through comments and through more extensive reflections in their own blogs.

I had to go and see what Mr. McNamar had written. His post: Reflecting on a Blog is a wonderful model of teacher reflection. He states articulately the issues he is thinking about and what the questions are that he will be pondering. Writing has put the ideas out, not only for himself to examine, but we can share his voyage. The power of the blog is that people have added their comments giving Mr. McNamar (and me) food for thought and other perspectives coming from different experiences.

Each blog takes me on new adventures in the labyrinth. I do come up for air, but the atmosphere of the Blogosphere is heady and it lures me back frequently.