Barbara McLaughlin :: Blog

http://reflectiveleadings.blogspot.com/2010/02/educon-and-beyond.html

http://reflectiveleadings.blogspot.com/2009/10/new-step.html

http://reflectiveleadings.blogspot.com/2009/08/back-to-school-back-to-school.h

It has been a well respected time off this summer (and not done yet!) but while the body continues to log the hot kilometres, the brain has, well a mind of its own.

So, preliminary thoughts for September ’09.

1. What enduring applications shall we champion? Comic Life was such a huge rollout. I truly do not think I have seen such an elegant, simple app that met so many cross-curriculum expectations. My next challenge. September OESDN. Comic Life/ Graphic Novels/ Assessment and Evaluation. Appreciate ALL comments/thoughts.
2. Enterprise Wireless. I believe this supercedes all considerations as we deal with desire/issues/platforms/legitimate outworld pressure. Again, anyone? Anyone? I really need some help here, as I get pressed between corporate IT, individual IT, and Curriculum.
3. Ontario Edtech: Can’t wait for ECOO ’09. Leaders Brenda Sherry and Peter Skillen are working hard to create a refresh, and I’d encourage anyone to come.

Next week starts a big adventure for OCDSB elementary teachers. We are rolling out Comic Life with a big splash, releasing over 200 teachers to discuss the pedagogy of the Writing Process, Graphic Novels, cross-curricular links, and, oh yeah, have a blast playing around with Comic Life.

And I do mean play. Never has the term “SandBox” been so apropos at a workshop. What really draws me to this software is ease of use. Drag and drop template, images, lettering, Gucci it up, and done. The classroom teachers get immediate technical understanding, and then can get on with their job of building enduring learning opportunities.

I preface the workshops with a discussion of Media Literacy, and the Writing Process. Then we compare that process to what it would like using Digital Tools. Familiar words like brainstorming, graphic organizer, and revision break through resistance levels. Bottom line, teachers get excited about trying a new approach with their existing lessons, and voila, we have adoption.

Most people who know me know that it takes a lot to set me off:)

But seriously, third virus in as many months, and no, I am not talking this annoying sinus cold that won't go away. And this last one, while it did not take down a hard drive, seriously caused damage. And that's trouble with a G, and that means Google.

Yes, the almighty Google may be going strong, but my account got taken out, along with my ability to get to my Google docs, where my shared-presentation for Friday, embedded in my shared-wiki, she says redundantly, resides.

Spent today, mopping up, emailing Mr. Google, setting up a new g-mail account, because of course I need one, and responding to all inquiries as to the reason for my hasty trip to Ghana, and money was on its way. Thanks to everyone, including my dad and my bank manager, for your concerns, and I'll be in touch with the off-shore banking numbers as soon as I can log back in.

But, all was not lost, because, there is a silver lining to this cloud. And mine, called by other names, is fondly known as Captain Backup.

Like many of our colleagues, we are having great feedback from our Comic Life workshopping. Presently targeting high school English teachers, as part of our 21st century learning tool kit, Comic Life ranks number one on the post-workshop evaluation survey, overall. A typical question is "I will definitely use Comic Life to support the Writing Process" to which 92% responded affirmatively. 

Next steps are to roll-out system-wide to the junior sector. I am personally starting yet another learning curve in the comic genre and graphic novels, and see such value for all learners to create meaning and express understanding, in an exciting and engaging way.

Oh, and while they are doing all that learning, teachers AND children... they are having a blast!

Tomorrow I have the delight to visit our colleague Roger Lemelin's grade 3's. When I asked him what we would be "playing" at, his response was "We'll be using Comic Life for persuasive writing. Rock and Roll!!!

Barbara

I’ve just read some great reflections on the Expanding our Boundaries by colleagues Shannon Smith, Kent Manning and Doug Peterson, and I am sure there are more to come. Some of the recurring themes centre around developing professional networks, facilitating teachers with a familiarity of the digital tools that can engage students in collaborative, creative learning, and helping students, and teachers, find their passions as eloquently stated by Ken Robinson in The Element. 

Truly an exciting, collaborative 2 days of learning, sharing, scaffolding and eating, lots of eating. But just how inclusive was it? Certainly there were teachers there who were on the early adoption scale of the ed- tech continuum. And kudos to them for hanging in there, we covered a lot of ground! We all shared in their personal triumphs when they got that video embedded in a wiki. Giant steps. I hope they sustain the networks that they started so we can continue to learn of their experiences in their classrooms upon return. It’s one thing to work with a litany of digital tools during a 2-day conference; another thing entirely to understand, and use, the power that these tools can bring to modern practice. 

But the reality is that for most of the people in the room, this was not their first ed tech conference, and in fact were rather familiar with all the tools. Are we in fact getting our message out to those that need to hear it?

Many of us fundamentally believe that we need to engage our students differently from the socratic teaching methods that are the foundations of our current pedagogy. Many of us "get" where we need to go when talking about modern literacies, that kids learn through on-line socializations, and that we need to understand this connected world so that we may guide safe passage. I personally believe that we as educators have a moral obligation to act as signposts in the changing digital landscape. Who else is going to do it?  

But who are we shouting this out to? Where are the preservice teachers, the parents, the administrators, the policy makers, the students! at these conferences? Are we doing a good job of demonstrating the power of these digital tools in an engaging, constructivist classroom, or are we just playing with our toys, dazzled by the next best thing that comes along at a dizzying speed of invention? Are we just reinforcing our own beliefs? Is any body out there? 

Next conference: Expanding Everybody’s Boundaries

We are all getting pretty pumped for the Netivities this weekend in Toronto with Will Richardson at Expanding our Boundaries! Ontario is in the house!!! 

There is a wiki for the event here and all participants, physical AND virtual are encouraged to sign in with their affiliation and net-handles.

It's a wiki, so wade in, write, and wield that virtual pen. There are pages for sharing ideas about PLN's, sharing cabs, and of course, initiating f2f meet-ups, the glue that holds this virtual world together?? Discuss.

Just so we can all multi-task, Twitter at #expbound,  Backchannel on Commun-IT Chat.

See you there!!

 Barbara

Heading into what should be an amazing conference next week facilitated by Will Richardson, and made possible by ECOO and OTF, thank you very much, it behooves me to ponder what constitutes my PLN thus far.

1. What is it?, Professional, Personal, what's the difference?

2. f2f, FB, on-line work email, gmail (different network there), Blog, Commun-IT, Twitter, that's my short list.

3. Who's got your back for the tough work questions, who makes time to collaborate and scaffold, who jumps in when you are sick, who do you really connect with, who rebuilds your hard drive, who helps you move?

Interesting questions all, and I am sure there are more. I posit these for next weekend. See you there.

Barbara