http://eduspaces.net/steves/weblog/185557.html

It's funny. The term blog used to be only really set aside for a small group of people who had a voice and somewhat important words to say. Now as I look around the blogosphere I'm surprised at how many people have jumped on this medium. I've always been a reader but I always felt that I didn't have anything really all that interesting to say. Somewhere my voice came around...now I blog with some regularity anyway. I will eventually get back into Podcasting. I was into it awhile back but suddenly just lost interest. I think it's a matter of time. Now that I'm in a district, I'll probably get back into it...of course in combination with my blog!

I digress...my original point to this is to ponder how many of use are utilizing wikis. How many of you author, contribute, or read wikis? Since coming to this district, I've been pushing the use wikis. They are great tools for kids...think of it as an outlet for a collaborative research "paper" or just an all together different way of students producing. Ah, production. I just finised doing an academy for innovative instruction and two of the things that I highlighted were data to drive change in instruction and differentiated instruction. Actually, can you see how they tie together? Again...I digress. So I prepared presentations, materials, ideas, and gathered tons of resources all with a focus on technology to enhance this process...what did I end up? A ton of stuff. I wasn't really sure what to do with all of it. I spoke to ways that you could use a wiki and it dawned on me...why don't I practice what I preach? So I created a wiki to highlight differentiated instruction and technology's influence on it. I'll be obviously expanding this thing but it's really in it's infancy. Please feel free to check it out! 

Have a great evening everyone!

Steve

http://eduspaces.net/steves/weblog/178697.html

Download: Posted by rachelboyd at TeacherTube.com - why kids should be blogging

Are edubloggers mostly white and middle class? What proportion of edubloggers have advanced degrees in instructional technology?

Brian Grenier wants to find out the answers to these and other questions. If you're an education blogger, please

1. complete his quick survey (if you're really bold, put your blog URL in the comments area!), and
2. spread the word via your own blog so that others will complete the survey too.

Spread the word! We all want to find out who is doing what....I put the link to my blog in the comments section!

Steve 

http://eduspaces.net/steves/weblog/178696.html

http://www.coe.uh.edu/digital-storytelling/

This is a Web site devoted to the Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling. The site is organized into sections:

• Introduction
• Goals and Objectives
• Examples
• Tools
• Evaluation
• Resources
• Partners

For anyone who is interested in getting involved in digital storytelling or for anyone looking for more supportive, supplemental resources...check it out! It's a great site!

Steve

http://eduspaces.net/steves/weblog/173990.html

So was anyone able to get out to the Second Life Best Practices in Education Conference on Friday, May 25, 2007? It's a conference that promotes the use of innovative practices in education utilizing...you guessed it...Second Life!

I wasn't able to get to it but I did manage to view a few of the presentations at the Second Life Cable Network site. I highly recommend viewing the Kathy Dryburgh presentation. If you haven't figured it out yet...it's Kathy Schrock's Second Life persona. Her presentation does an excellent job at describing this awesome tool (and yes it's a tool...not just some virtual toy!) and how can promote a paradigm shift in K12 education.

I have to tell you that I've always thought of virtual reality from the angle that we can bring together people across distances and collaborate...something we strive to get our kids to do, right? In one of the grad classes that I teach, I always talk about the evolutionary future of the Web. Right now we navigate it but do we really navigate it? Users click a few links...maybe even a picture and we move around through the content. Ok but this isn't truly navigating...it is what it is...clicking on things that bring up other content. The example that I always use is that of the ActiveWorlds Educational environment. There are people collaborating for educational purposes...whether it's building the pyramids in Egypt or playing a virtual game of chess. Then came Second Life and the educational community (more higher ed but we're getting there in K12) began to see this as a truly navigatable Web. Think about how you, as users, now interact with and traverse around a 3 dimensional Web...now that's navigating! Sure Second Life is a little different because it's where we can gather to meet, socialize, build things, learn, attend, shop, everything that you can do in the "real" world, you can now do in the Second Life. People reinvent themselves...this is what the world is afraid of. I say challenge ourselves to think of creative ways to use Second Life. It's nothing more than an evolution of the modern day Web site. Yes. It is better to interact with people face to face but that is getting increasingly more difficult as our world becomes so much more flat. We have to begin to embrace these technologies that bring us closer together...even though the world is flat, it still takes REALLY REALLY long to get to the other side of it.

Steve 

http://eduspaces.net/steves/weblog/173131.html

I've been a little behind these days. End of the year activities keep me slightly busy and I tend to not be able to update my journal. Tons of changes going on out there! The best thing that I've heard is the reauthorization of Title II, Part D of NCLB. This is huge! Basically, there's a bill out there to reauthorize as the "Achievement Through Technology and Innovation Act of 2007." It's focus is to improve support for disadvantages schools and students and ensuring that teachers are properly equipped and trained to do so. It focusses the funds on professional development and reform...to target 21st century technologies/learning.

For more information:

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=7092 - eSchool News Article

Have a great weekend!

Steve 

http://eduspaces.net/steves/weblog/168724.html

Hu, Winnie. “Seeing No Progress, Some Schools Drop Laptops.” The New York Times 4 May 2007 4 May 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/04/education/04laptop.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin 

AAARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!! So there are a few out there that obviously think putting a laptop in a kid's hand will suddenly (possibly through osmosis) thrust them into the 21st century skill set that we are so crazily looking for kids to have today? There are also those who strongly look at this technology as being solution (on its own) for school improvement. I read this article over and over again and I can't help but point out some obvious problems.

1. Teachers in this particular district aren't looking to change. "“After seven years, there was literally no evidence it had any impact on student achievement — none,” said Mark Lawson, the school board president here in Liverpool, one of the first districts in New York State to experiment with putting technology directly into students’ hands. “The teachers were telling us when there’s a one-to-one relationship between the student and the laptop, the box gets in the way. It’s a distraction to the educational process.” A distraction? Are you serious? Ok...I believe that if you put a laptop in front of a kid without knowing how to use it as a tool (I mean the staff not knowing) then you're not going to have any success...it could be a "distraction." What's missing here???? I'm thinking that maybe staff development could a real issue. Maybe having someone coach teachers (like the classrooms of the future model in PA) and work with them to promote the use of the laptops as a tool for change, learning, creative outlet (different forms of assessment maybe???), and eventually scoring better on state tests. I'll come back to the state test point soon...
2. The article is citing logistical and technical problems for the 1:1 computing failures. Poor planning really sets a district up for failure. Moving towards 1:1 isn't a quick "let's get some grant money and implement this program" fix type thing. First of all, when you bring a mass quantity of technology into the district, don't you need to have the support system there for fixing problems, training, and maybe maximizing your district network? Planning...you'll need more staff to fix...you'll need more training...you'll need more integration training...you'll need more bandwidth. These laptops will force change...instructional yes...but also logistical. Those who thought that this wouldn't impact other areas...you didn't plan.
3. Focus on the high-stakes testing. I know...this is the worst subject to ever bring up. Everything I do is geared towards school improvement. It's the era we live in. NCLB made us look at and standardize everything. I've a data lover so I'm all about gathering performance data on students. Yes...technology can help kids perform better but it's not something that just happens overnight. Change happens but it's a slow process, right? The rate at which our kids come closer to achieving is probably the problem here...NCLB requires us to change and make benchmarks too quick...I diverge. Here's a quote from the article, which truly bothers me:“ Where laptops and Internet use make a difference are in innovation, creativity, autonomy and independent research,” he said. “If the goal is to get kids up to basic standard levels, then maybe laptops are not the tool. But if the goal is to create the George Lucas and Steve Jobs of the future, then laptops are extremely useful.” Hmmm, let me see...aren't those two mentioned (Mr. Lucas and Mr. Jobs) two of the most revered people on the planet? Haven't they affected millions upon millions with their work??? I'm thinking that if my daughter grows up to be like those two...but not achieve in math or traditional writing....then I'd be ok with it!

There are so many other things in that article which truly bother me. The article closes with, “The art of thinking is being lost.” “Because people can type in a word and find a source and think that’s the be all end all.”  I teach my graduate students (who are seeking masters and certification in instructional technology) to take a thought like this and transform it in to something positive. What I hear when I hear thoughts such as these...people who have not been adequately given professional development, advice, mentoring, whatever and who are not taking "old" pedagogy and making it new pedagogy. I challenge the author of this article to consider seeking out 1:1 programs that are successful...I'm sure they had their bumps and bruises...the difference is that they probably stuck with it a little longer knowing that it takes time and a little patience.

Steve

http://eduspaces.net/steves/weblog/167635.html

http://supportblogging.com/

For those of you who don't know what to do "educationally" with a blog...David Warlick has wiki setup dedicated to the support of the blog as an educational tool...not to mention a great way to get kids to write! Be sure to visit the "How to Start" and the "Resources" section. I know there are those that feel that blogging isn't for everyone but seriously in education...we want kids to write. If blogging is a way to get kids to write then wouldn't we value it as a valid resource? Then why aren't we promoting more of it!

Steve

http://eduspaces.net/steves/weblog/167629.html

I recently had the opportunity to attend a presentation by Dr. Scott Garrigan related to open content/open source/open just about everything. Dr. Garrigan is someone who I would consider a friend and his enlightening words inspire me. He inspires me to look foward and to look outside of our comfort zone. Sure, I've seen/heard the Alan Novembers and the David Warlicks of the world but Scott is close to home. I guess it's also nice to hear someone who also shares similar views...but differ somewhat. In the presentation he brought up Google Images and YouTube as a source of accessible content...I reminded him that these two tools (and I see them as tools...believe me) are commonly blocked in the K12 arena. This began a discussion of how in the "real world" we aren't blocking these tools. I agree...we should be allowed to utilize tools that are in the "real world" but the reality of it is that we are prohibited by federal law to allow access to inappropriate material/content for k12 students. I'm reminded of the time that a teacher asked me to find an image of a giraffe. I quickly opened Google images (before deemed inappropriate), typed in giraffe, and to our shock...a picture of a naked person on top of a giraffe. Now imagine me having 2nd graders going to Google Images and finding that. If a parent were to know that...that teacher would be in some serious trouble. The same goes for YouTube. There is VERY inappropriate material in there...not all of it but some...enough to cause me pain and agony if parents were to question it. That why these things are blocked. I will tell you that as a curriculum person, I argue all the time with our technology departments about the availability of tools that are legit...I guess that's how it's going to be for the time being.

So this brings me back to Dr. Garrigan...even though we disagreed with that particular point, I am a VERY strong proponent of K12 students accessing and taking advantage of what's out there. It's funny...here in the U.S. we have become a nation of downloaders...students downloading music, research papers, other peoples' ideas, graphics, etc. while the rest of the world have become uploaders. The Web 2.0 world is one of sharing and collaboration yet we don't take advantage of it...so I challenge teachers to have their students creat and collaborate and throw it out there for the world to see and provide feedback. Blog, podcast, write, speak, share, chart, explore, peer edit/review, social network, wiki, wikibooks, journal...share and give feedback...these are skills.

Steve 

http://eduspaces.net/steves/weblog/166803.html

Don't know if you've seen the eSchool News site of the week for this week but it's a good one!

Direct from eSchool News: http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/links/showLink.cfm?linkID=341

Created by a high school student in the San Francisco Bay Area, Quizlet is a free, web-based tool designed to help students learn and practice vocabulary. Users enter the vocabulary terms and definitions they're trying to learn, and the site creates flashcards and other study tools, including collaboration tools so students can share, edit, and discuss word sets. After entering their vocabulary words, students are presented with three study methods: the flashcard method; a configurable test page that includes written, matching, multiple-choice, and true-false questions; and a specialized "learn" mode that tracks the user's knowledge of individual words and retests the user only on unlearned words. The site also features a live chat box for discussing vocabulary usage with other students, the ability to import information from other web sites and documents, and the ability to combine word sets. Although the most obvious application of Quizlet is for English terms and their definitions, students also are using the site to learn foreign-language translations, history dates, and scientific terms, its creator says.

http://www.quizlet.com

Steve

http://eduspaces.net/steves/weblog/165216.html

This is probably extremely redundant but I love literacy. I do a number of workshops that involve technology and the changing face of literacy. If you haven't heard, there are a number of comix generator sites out there...with more popping up all the time. For any of your teachers who might be using/interested in comic literacy sites or tools...here is a free one that is actually receiving rave reviews. This tool is much like ToonDoo (www.toondoo.com) but this one is has no inappropriate material and is geared towards education. Some of the other stuff out there either has ads all over the place or you may find some not-so-nice material. This one...safe and clean. It's really a great site! Check it out!

http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/

Creator: Bill Zimmerman
Illustrator: Tom Bloom