Barbara McLaughlin :: Blog

So very quickly, got the Thumbs Up on an semi-formed, turkey-bloated holiday thought, expeditiously Expedia-d travel arrangements, and bumpf, I'm leaving on that jet plane for Philly, (well hopefully not that bumpfy).

http://educon20.wikispaces.com/

Quite a cross-winds of interests for me here; School Reform is on my mind. I am loving all the conversations, but in my opinion, we need to take some of this outside, and maybe up the hill a bit.

I am currently reading "Disrupting Class" by Clay Christensen, prompted by the ISTEadmin book talk and follow-up webinar that just started at http://sigadmin.iste.wikispaces.net/message/view/home/6603961#8103557

I was a bit sceptical about applying straight business principles to education, but, be still my little Economics heart, Disruptive Innovation is a graphable force, wherever applied, and change is in the winds. Can't wait to cast my couple of Canadian sense into that Philly mistral.

Also can't wait to cast a couple of American cents into a Philly Cheesesteak:)

Barbara

 

We have been happily surprised lately at the speed at which OCDSB teachers are jumping on the wiki wiki express train. While we have had a lot of adopters of Blogs, Podcasts and Digital Video, nothing has equalled the clammerings for wikis workshops. Even more interesting, the wiki workshops are after school, and no toys such as headsets, or cameras, are offered. So that gets me to wondering, Why Wikis?

1. You can't beat an intriguing name. An email starting "Wanna Wiki?" gets noticed.
2. Teachers are aware there are tools out there that will work in their classes. They lack time, experience, expertise and support. Wikis are user-friendly and get people up on-line in minutes.
3. Originially targetted at secondary teachers as a simple alternative to an LMS, they have been embraced by teachers at every grade and circumstance, due to their adaptability.
4. They can be personalized, the kids can easily take part, and the parents and community can be involved.

I am sure there are other reasons why this is working. Next steps are sustainability and networking. I've got a little plan for that

I have just had the privilege of attending the elearning Symposium in Ottawa (Eastern Region) and was particulary engaged with the conversations generated by the breakout session on online plagarism. In my opinion, this is just a starting point for discussions surrounding copyright, best practices when downloading and using content, and modelling appropriate online behaviours to students AND colleagues (yes, the end-of-the-year slide shows are lovely, but you are stealing music my friends!!)

Bottom line is that it is time that we grab that old Web 1.0 AUP by the legal arm, try to get a sense of what will work in the context of education, and get a little busy. Not the funnest of tasks, but in my conversations with ed-tech colleagues, appropriate online use of content seems to be the grey elephant in the room, and that can get pretty messy.

There is a session at ECOO next month dealing with Copyright, which is a great place to start. Anyone interested in collaborating on this? Birds of a Feather at ECOO? 

 

Barb

 

Here is the ECOO session on copyright: 

FC17 Copyright Concerns - Applicable Alternatives
Diana Maliszewski, Toronto District School Board
Canadian copyright legislation is not clearly understood
by the majority of educators, and many teachers and
students regularly break the law frequently with their
use of video, images, and music. Learn about the safe
and legal alternatives (such as Free Play Music and the
Canadian Clip Art Collection) so you and your students
can be ethical digital citizens.
Target Audience: General/All

I am having the time of my life this summer, selling a home and moving to a new place. Oh yeah, 2008, The Summer of Love. In the midst of all the 1 million arrangements to be made, I got an email asking me to present to incoming teachers all the great things that we will be providing, technologically speaking, this upcoming year. As I happily took a break from packing, and started to prepare a list of the wonderful world of Web 2.0 and beyond, with lovely links to curriculum and classroom uses, it occurred to me just how many of those strategies am I actually using in my real, busy, and very authentic life?

So here is my quick check-list of relevancy:

Did I use the Internet?  

And how!! From changing my address, to researching home provider options, to listing my home, to booking a moving company, to emailing my poor friends about all this, the list is endless.

Did I Podcast, Blog, or Wiki?

Well, I’m blogging now anyway.

Did I use Digital Media?

Yup, got some pictures of my house out there for all the world to see.

Did I use a social network?

Yeah, the old-fashioned kind, my first-life, physical friends, to help pack, sort, lift, tote and have a w(h)ine. Couldn’t do this without them.

Google Docs?

All those Googlers out there will be happy to know I did!

 
The point is, it’s not whether the New Tools are relevant. I couldn’t have done any of the above without critical thinking, analysis, PROBLEM SOLVING, research, and, oh yeah, the Internet. We need to keep it real, and give the kids authentic tasks. Actually, this would make a great, cross-curricular assignment. “You are a Moving Consultant, faced with limited budget and an impossible task…..”

 

Barb

Like many, I have looked to post-NECC postings as I try to sort and sift information. I am still working on some thoughtful reflections to jump start initiatives for next year. It's a lot to process. Going to NECC, San Antonio was an amazing event, and I am still riffing on it. Immersing in a different country, with hordes of like-minded professionals, both on and off-line is my kind of fun.

That being said, I was rather taken aback at the Twitter, as quoted by David Warlick here, "that as One commenter said, in explanation of a Twitter post she’d made during the conference, “I wonder if Canadian schools really get it.” I think Mr. Warlick's response was a defence of us cousins.

Then I happened on to Clarence Fischer's blog here , the title of which is "America .... You've Got Trouble".

So I've got two questions. 

Firstly, what does it mean to "not get' something? I seem to hear that phrase a lot. Does it mean that one does not understand something? Or is it that it's an easy way to dismiss people who understand, and consider, a point of view, and then choose to not stop there intellectually?

Secondly, and a little more personal, what is it that Canadian schools don't get? And if the Twitterer thinks that American schools have the answer, PLEASE SHARE!! We're trying real(LY) hard.

Barb 

One neat thing about NECC is the ability to obtain as much information as possible, due to the flexibility of session attendence. Although sheer numbers made some sessions inpenetrable, generally one could access at will, allthough I don't recommend sitting on the floor. Thus "remainability" becomes an issue. I tried to choose wisely, and attend sessions along some themes I'm looking at, but with so many great things going on, I wasn't about to stay if I wasn't getting the immediate hit of information that I needed. I won't mention the rather well-known speakers I walked out on, but when I've only got an hour, I don't need to know about your kid's school trips, thanks.

One thing I did note was that I was more likely to remain in a session if I fired up the old ASUS. I checked the website references, looked at the on-line hand-outs to see what notes were needed, and thus was able to make some really pertinent observations, sent emails to the likes of Ian Jukes ( Yes I am Committed now), and generally happily multi-tasked my way through the presentation, never missing the point, or failing to laugh at the joke.

Did I look like I was participating? Maybe not, but I stayed through the hour, got the POV's, and even managed to link thoughts together on my reflection page. Have I re-wired my mind, a la the "Digital Native"? I think not, just using the Web 2.0 tools of choice to gain understanding and knowledge.

Barb

 

So at this point, I'm acclimatized, got the place mapped out, starting to identify personal themes to explore, and got the ASUS on-line during a session. Sounds like I am a seasoned conference attendee, doesn't it? But no, my friend , I have risen to the lofty heights of Master Attendee. I've got the ASUS plugged in!

 

It's a busy place, to say the least, 8 sessions daily, with offerings of maybe 20 different sessions workshops, papers, posters, or gatherings per session. Not all offerings resonate with my interests, but 2 themes seem to be emerging over, ones that I have been pondering of late, in terms of next steps.

 

The first one, teacher motivation, is addressed a bit differently here, as US teachers do have mandated technology curriculum expectations (NET-S,T,A), which are refreshed with direct consideration of 21^st Learning. Just learned they have standards for Technology Facilitators (our CCT's) and Technology Leaders (yikes, that's me!). Bottom line is no one has a quick fix in moving teachers along the adoption continuum, but lots of reaffirming ideas were bandied about.

 

By far the most compelling session was the key-note interview of Mali Bickley and Jim Carleton this morning. Their passion, their zeal, their commitment and their obvious friendship and collaboration are exemplary and inspiring. But even more than that, they brought the children in their projects to life, and convincingly demonstrated the power of kids teaching kids, and teachers, for that matter. This is the second theme that is bubbling up through the NECC waters. I'm thinking that not to tap into the students' curiosity, risk-taking, enthusiasm and sociability is treading against the tide. Let's get them fired up, tap into their natural optimism, and if they run into problems along the way, in the words of Mali and Jim, then let's help “the big people” fix it.

 

BTW, participating in a panel discussion in the backchannel chat room in a session on getting teachers involved in social networking was way cool. Interesting how I have no problem asking questions on-line. One can extrapolate that Clickers do have their strengths.

 

Trying to get the most out of what presents to be an amazing wealth of information, expertise and shear humanity in San Antonio, I have spent some time on the NECC website, mulling over sessions, poster presentations and hands-on playgrounds. What brain candy!!

I have watched with interest the growth of the Ning, as it evolved from a bulletin board of sorts ("anyone want to share a taxi?") to the emergence of grouped interests and ad-hoc SIGs. Many of the events are going to be streamed, podcasted and shared in numerous blogs (I'm going to do my best!), so if you can't make it, the collaborative knowledge should be accessible to all, and available for futher discussion and use.

This, in my opinion, is key. Conferences are great, but there needs to be reflection, attempt, revision and re-trial of new ideas, so that we all don't get lost in rhetoric and discussion, without sound efforts to ask "What then are next steps!"

BTW, Commun-IT is in the news on the Necc2008 homepage! Way to go homies!!

 

Barb 

Today captured in many ways the path we have walked since Fall 2007 in supporting teachers with IWB's and tablets. Believing that technology, whatever that may be, can only be used successfully as a tool for integration if dedicated professional development is attached, we gathered a group of teachers together, with a complete range of experiences. From our initial meeting, then on-site release time, and to our final reflections today, a dedicated and diverse group showed a commitment to collaborate and connect.  A Professional Learning Network is a  dynamic and organic entity, and ours has ebbed and flowed, but in the end has grown in numbers, has a commitment to sustainability, and has a mandate to facilitate other teachers with like technology throughout the system. Must tell you, it was all pretty cool!

Keep an eye out for videos, lesson templates, learning objects and personal reflections in the Interactive Whiteboard conference.

My thanks to all my colleagues who gave their time and dedication to this project.

Barb

I spent some time this weekend, OK a GREAT deal of time, preparing a slideshow for a milestone celebration party for my parents. As the last time I managed to do this sort of project I used digital video, imovie and shared the result on VHS, it was with some trepidation that I sat down to proceed. I had never used the scan function, did not have any current slide show application, and really wondered why I keep doing this to myself.

However, ultimately the scanner showed me how to create images of equal size, I downloaded Photo Story 3 and we soon became fast friends, and I spent too many hours tweaking transitions, re-postitioning photos, and adding the inspiring music, which to my mind, is more than just the icing on the digital cake. Believe me, I am serving tissues with this premiere.

Which brings me to the sharing part of this exercise. I welcome all suggests on an appropriate space to where I can upload the finished opus. It must be easily accessible, as my family members are as diverse as any classroom, and collaborative, so that those who thought that I put in way too many pictures of my cute kids, can download and edit .

As I reflected on this rather joyous process, and how I used creativitity, problem solving, and collaboration in a media-rich environment, my Consultant antennae perked up. While I know of pockets of technology use such as this in our system, the challenge is to provide a consistent level of compatible hardware and software, appropriate training on equipment and Web 2.0 pedagogy, and a demonstration of commitment to the new literacies.

Enough of that now. I am going back to tweak the photo of my dad and his cronies on the harmonicas to just the right spot during Zamfir's "The Lonely Shepard".