As I continue reporting from the conference that I'm attending, I reiterate the fact that this is an administrative (education...K12) conference. The focus, again, is on technology and how it supports what our kids want/do. Joe Kondisko, a long-time friend and colleague, is presenting on Web 2.0 technologies and ultimately, the instructional impact. Joe is an assistant principal and, much like myself, believes that technology is nothing more than a tool. So as I sit here in his presentation, let me highlight some of the things that he talks about:
kids want to create and share...something we do in the real world but we don't currently allow kids to do
kids want to use technology...it's getting better...but teachers still don't see it as an impact in today's learner's life
today's tuned-in leaner...is tuned-out in the classroom
whatever, whenever, wherever...it's all about access to content
kids want to be engaged...is technology the key to engagement? Ask them!
how does technology affect professional development
Web 2.0 promote student engagement
it promotes a purpose...they want a purpose
kids want to publish to a world-wide publish
demonstrated student-published podcasts...via the King Tut exhibit from the Philly Museum
Top 10 Podcasting Ideas:
Press releases (6th grade L.A. curriculum to writing press releases) - went to actual papers, too
Interviews
Audio books
Radio advertisements
Alternate endings to stories
Online debate
Book review
Digital history
Field trips
Math tutorials
cited a Vodcast for Haircuts for Cancer
cited the " ____ in Plain English" series
talked about voicethreads (student audio and interactive responses)
Digging for Dinosaurs
Book Report Colleagues
Wind Power Editorial
the change that professional development might see as a result...blogs directly to teachers, social networking tools, RSS, iPod for PD, etc.
So as Joe is still talking, let me take a minute to reflect a little. This 'stuff' is here to stay. It has an effect on our students. I don't have any school-age children yet...only a 16 month old...but I have learned something from her...she HAS NO FEAR OF THE COMPUTER/TECHNOLOGY. Imagine what today's school-age children are doing. I want educators to think about that above...this 'stuff' promotes collaboration and skills that kids need to have in order to participate in the worksforce beyond...
As a technology director and education enthusiast, the administrator/teacher in me usually gets a ton out of administrative conferences. I'm not that old nor have I had 50 years in education but I've noticed a change in these types of conferences lately. The movement to take advantage of today's learner and the tools that they have access to are dominating educational change. Technology...how about that? As I sit in Dr. Tim Tyson's session, "Putting your entire school on the grid," he's talking to the group about how his middle school staff utilizes blogs and podcasts in their everyday teaching lives. Here are some highlights that stick out in my mind from his presentation
required teachers to blog once/week
daily teacher blogs don't require teachers to do more work...they require parents to do more work
teacher blogs promote what's going on in the classroom
imagine the spelling lists, vocabulary, and what's ACTUALLY going on in the classroom for that day to be made available for parents...the modern answer to the ever-so-important parent question: "What did you learn today in school?" [I truly feel bad about this one...my answer to my father was always, 'nothing'...SO sorry dad!]
principals blog what's going on "at that moment" in the school community...get the word out to the parent/school community...create an informed community
imagine the principal giving those critical updates, via a blog, out to staff...attend a district meeting and relay the message instantly...rather than gathering staff after the fact...but instantly
create a blogging environment...categorized by content area and then teacher
what's very interesting [and I didn't think about this] is that the blog becomes the "what I'm doing" components of the teacher portfolio
he's speaking to Podcasting, which is a very simple technology that keeps learning authentic but school information timely and relevant.
as a building leader/district leader...MODEL it ALL the time!!!!
provide feedback that includes technology resources...make the seed grow!!!
as a building leader...give credit where credit is due
try things...experiment...but allow teachers to be comfortable enough to do that...failure is nothing more than a step to non-failure
promote promote promote
I agree with Dr. Tyson. I've been promoting the use of technology as a communication tool within schools. It's not communication with just parents...but teachers...community members...anyone who wants to listen! If you've never had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Tyson, I highly recommend you seeking out some of his content. Best place to see his school in action...www.mabryonline.org/blogs.
I used to read 30+ blogs during one week. I used to even write in mine much more that I have been. I guess that's what having a 15 month old and a busy job that I [both] love means. So my goal is to write a little more and read a little less. I've narrowed my reading down a bit but I still have a few staple blogs that I read. Anyway, I came across Google Lit (www.googlelittrips.org). It an awesome site! I can't wait to inform my Language Arts/English teachers about it! We have Google Earth on just about every computer in the district and teachers are always looking for ways to utilize it. If you're not into Google Earth then you'll most not likely have a clue as to how it fits into your classroom. There are the obvious ones: measurement, geography, environmental systems, etc. I have seen it used for "virtual" fieldtrips but the lit trip concept is awesome! I highly recommend you going out there and taking a look at it. You'll need Google Earth if you wish to download the trips. If you don't have it...get it at http://earth.google.com. While I'm at it...get on out to http://www.google.com/educators. There are tons of "stuff" created for the Google applications that are way applicable to any classroom!
I love stuff like this. It totally highlights the obvious disconnect between our educational system and the students we teach. There are a ton of these videos/PPTs running around....it's the idea that counts
Ahhh the summer...whatever happened to summers off? I just got back from NC's Outerbanks and feel extremely refreshed and energized. Not that I needed it or felt horrible or anything but it's nice to get away and ground yourself a bit. Can't go wrong there! Now I don't want anyone to think that I haven't been busy so far this summer...I have been! Right before I went to NC, I did a presentation at a secondary math conference on interactive math tools. It was part of an instructional technology/innovative practices strand. I have to tell you that I always enjoy doing conferences...never been a huge lover of going to them...though they have there places. I really prefer to present at them. It's actually rewarding...just like teaching! Anyway, here's a "copy" of my presentation...hope you enjoy!
I recently came across Sketchcast. Sketchcasting is deemed as a newer version of blogging. It's actually quite interesting once you get to see the tool in action. Thinking of math teachers...this would be a great tool to record math equation solving and then post it on the site or embed the content into a blog or wiki, etc.
Here's an example...this one is an algebra problem solution:
It's a very cool looking tool and of course since it's a Web 2.0 tool...it's also free! Another great reason why we should promote tools like this...anyway, take some time and visit www.sketchcast.com...you'll love it!
In an effort to force myself to actually maitain my blog, I'm going to start sharing web-based (and hopefully free) tools that promote the collaboration and creation of content on the Web. They might be considered Web 2.0 type tools or not...or they might just be a very cool tool that can be used in the classroom. Hopefully, we'll all find something...
Tool of the Week: Google's OpenMeeting (http://code.google.com/p/openmeetings/) Many of use have been investigating tools to promote Web conferencing and collaboration. I've used a bunch of tools for years but usually...there's a cost attached to it. Even if you find some "free" ones out there, there are limits attached to them and then it costs money. It's always ends up being something that I don't want. So I stumbled upon an open source app developed by Google, called Open Meetings. Basically, it's a tool that's comparable to Elluminate Live, which many of the districts in PA utilize for this type of environment. Here is a brief listing of the features:
Video/Audio sharing
See Desktop of any participant
Multi-Language and Customizable
Whiteboard with drawing, write & edit, dragNDrop, Resizeing, Images (DragNDrop from Library), Symbol(s)
Conference while drawing (4x4 or 1xn modus)
Safe Drawings / whiteboard and load it next time, edit and resave
Import Documents (many types)
Send invitation and direct Links into a meeting
Moderating System
User-/Organisation-/Moderating- System
Record conferences
I find the tool worth investigating...but like most OpenSource apps, it might actually make your IT dept go outside of the comfort zone related to application support, etc. There is a demo site available and that can be found at http://inno02.fh-pforzheim.de:8080/openmeetings/
I'm always looking for new tools to bring to our students. With high stakes testing for writing being such an issue here in Pennsylvania, I'm looking for tools that will help our kids. One of the writing tools that I've stumbled upon is called SOPHIE. I was wondering if anyone out there has used it or has done any investigation into it. I first heard about it on the if:book site and it really struck my interest.
I've had much involvement with libraries and librarians over the years and with my innate interest in technology/teaching, the future of the book enthralls me. I find it interesting that we hold onto this notion of a physical book in education so much that when I bring up the subject of the future, people look at me like I have six heads. So what does the future of the book look like? The Institute for the Future of the Book seems to think tools like SOPHIE will drive its future. It's inevitable that we'll have some dynamic, multimedia rich, and interactive tool in the future...but how far off in the future? We're bombarded so much with the impact of our society on the environment but we never contemplate the book's impact on the environment.
What is the impact of the making of books on the actual environment? It's been a very difficult thing to actually find...the secret society of book readers must be very secretive with this data. But I found something...according to the Eco-Libris Web site, "About 20 Million trees are cut down annually for virgin paper used for the production of books sold in the U.S. alone." That's crazy! Here are some interesting points that are made about the book/paper industry:
Number of new titles published annually in the U.S.: 172,000 (2005 figures)
Number of books produced annually in the U.S.: 4.15 billion (2006 figures)
Number of books sold annually in the U.S.: 3.09 billion (2006 figures)
55 percent of fiction is bought by women, 45 percent by men
Annual revenues of U.S. book publishers: $26.8 billion (2004 figures)
Annual revenues of European book publishers: Euro 22.3 billion (2004 figures)
Number of book publishers in the U.S.: more than 80,000
Did you even know that there's a Book Industry Treatise on Responsible Paper Use? I had no idea...but what's more interesting is that only about only 0.19% of all U.S. publishers ARE committed to the treatise. Oh and let me just throw this...only about 5% of publishers use recycled paper...oops!
So this brings me back to my original point...what is the future of the book going to look like? Is it going to be here quicker than the librarian thinks? Just a thought...maybe eBooks ARE better than this physical thing setting on my desk.
Internet2 from MAGPI but more importantly, they also develop and research content. What's unique about this group is that they are a group consisting of both K12s and highereds. It's through these partnerships that collaborations have been formed and are continually being built. I'm in many consortia, both individually and through the district, but this has truly been one of the most rewarding opportunities for me and for my district. Being new to Pocono Mountain School District, one of my goals as director of instructional technology was to build collaborations and seek opportunities beyond the boundaries of the classrooms. My teachers have stepped up this year! The connection here for Internet2 has been live for just about two years. Last year the district was involved in maybe 20 (at best) student opportunities via Internet2. This year, as of beginning of November, we've been involved in almsot 40!
The best thing about Internet2...is opportunity. What the projects that we've been involved in has done is open more collaborations beyond Internet2. We're working on a collaboration with CERMUSA to reach out to St. Francis University and have our teachers connect with their professors for staff development and for student opportunities. We have joined the Internet2 K20 social networking too, MUSE to reach out and find other opportunities. We've also had our teachers join CILC for the same reason. We've created a staff development program here at Pocono Moutain called the PMSD Internet2 Pioneers. This program takes small groups of teachers from all of our 13 buildings and we provide them staff development on I2 through MAGPI. We also provide professional learning communities where we, as administrators, sit down and plan/collaborate on how Internet2 can impact their classrooms. We assist them in researching and finding collaborations and opportunites for their students. It has been an overwhelming success here in Pocono Mountain. Times are changing and we value Internet2 and see it as something necessary...especially when it costs more money to take a group of kids across the street than it does to connect half-way around the world.
Read an article from T.H.E. Journal the other day on something called the 'X Internet.' The article was entitled the 'X Files' so it naturally caught my attention. Anyway, the focus of the article was on an Internet that far reaches what our Internet does today. Some refer to it as the 'far reaching Internet' or the 'pervasive Internet' or the 'embedded networking.' Whatever we call the Internet (let's face it...we're really talking about the Web), we all agree that it won't look like it looks now in a few years. I managed to follow the article out to Forrester Research (www.forrester.com) and found a little bluf from George F. Colony, Chairman of the Board and CEO, Forrester. He says:
"X Internet offers several important advantages over the Web: 1) It rides Moore's Law -- the wide availability of cheap, powerful, low real-estate processing; 2) it leverages ever dear bandwidth -- once the connection is made, a small number of bits will be exchanged, unlike the Web where lots of pages are shuttled out to the client; and 3) X Internet will be far more peer-to-peer -- unlike the server-centric Web."
Right now we're used to going places on the Web...navigate from Web server to Web server. Bandwidth becomes a huge issue so there's still a group of haves and have-nots. What the X Internet model suggests is that instead of the Web evolving (much like television over the last 20 some years) slowly and developing into a multi-level mish mash of conglomerates running the thing, it'll be maintained as part of one rather large peer-to-peer network. I find this extremely interesting because as I sit and watch television via the Internet these days, I don't think that the large conglomerates of the world see this coming. I'm sure if you speak to NBC, they'll tell you that eventually it will evolve into a communications structure and system much like network television. They're going to be left behind. I don't see this at all. What I do see are the innovators out there who are throwing content onto machines like YouTube, TeacherTube, etc. I find it extremely difficult to see the Web as a network television model.
So what I'm thinking is that in 2-3 years, the Web won't look anything like it does today. You and I...the people of the Web...will be ones controlling what's out there. Web pages will be gone. VR will be authentic, real, online worlds that people will visit to do whatever it is they do. We will learn, create, and share content/knowledge like we've never done before. That article in T.H.E. Journal suggests that the Web will be filled with services (and not the technical server side service things) that individuals will be able to actually participate and control.
Whatever the future of the Web holds...I know that none of us are prepared for it. How could we? As an educator, I see our students as really those who will receive this torch. There's no way that we can teach them about what the future is going to hold but we can prepare them to think in ways that will assist them in planning for the future...whatever it hold.
