Meet the Peeps
By Susan Carter Morgan
As you know, we’ve been knocking around a few ideas here to help us all be better connected. One way is to share news and stories about folks–community leaders, experienced voices, cognitive coaches, and PLPeeps themselves.
We have amazing people in our midst, teachers and learners who shape and change the world. On days when we feel discouraged about the slow pace of “shift,” we need to remind ourselves of the good work we are all doing.
Alec Couros, a professor of educational technology and media at the Faculty of Education, University of Regina, will serve as our co-director of Community Development with Robin Ellis this year. He will also be serving as a co-Community Leader for the ADVIS and Canadian cohorts. He is a kind, open teacher who shares freely with the rest of us. And, as Carey Pohanka said the first time she met him, “OMG he smells so good!”
He, like so many others, would prefer not to be in the spotlight.(I am sure I just embarrassed him with @capohanka’s comment!) Nevertheless, we want to share some of the things he’s been up to. He not only teaches, he also presents and keynotes all over the world. Recently he presented at the PLE conference in Barcelona with Graham Atwell. And in typical open fashion, Alec solicited ideas and slides from his network, which he used during the conference itself. An added benefit of the trip was his brother, George, who traveled with him.
“It was good one on one time with my brother,” Alec said, about George, who has within the past year become active in social media himself. The tweets and blog posts coming out of Barcelona kept us all on the edge of our seats.
Alec will be teaching another open course this fall, once again using the power of his network to add value to his grad students and to support the community of learners that surrounds him. He has upwards of 70 people who’ve offered to serve as mentors to his students. But, if people prefer to simply attend the course, they may. By enrolling as non-credit students, folks from around the world will be able to participate.
This fall Alex is slated to keynote at the Quest conference in Ontario, sponsored by the York Region District School Board. Be sure to attend if you are around in November!
And in just a few weeks, he’ll be presenting/sharing at Learning 2.010 in China along with Jeff Utecht and many others. The line up for this unconference sounds fantastic.
It’s folks like Alec that make us better teachers, better learners, and better people. But true to form, Alec throws it back to his network.
“It’s interesting that there are so many people willing to support others in this journey. A lot of people support the idea of building passionate networks,” he said. “And that’s what PLP does, too.”
image: By dsevilla
Boot Camp Goes Overseas
By Susan Carter Morgan
PLP Boot Camp will be traveling this fall—all the way to Norway.
Ann Michaelsen, a teacher who has been providing new opportunities to learn for her own teachers, has now also arranged the November 17 Boot Camp for administrators in Norway and Sweden.
“We’ve all been using technology for a long time,” she said. “But we hope this Boot Camp will give people a reason to think about what they are doing and why.”
Teachers in Norway are conservative in teaching and learning, she said. However, the curriculum is not set, and teachers are “at liberty to choose more than teachers in the US.”
Yet, even with that freedom, she said, “Students are basically using computers to take notes.” She hopes this conference will help people see the possibilities for more collaborative, online work. She wants the pedagogy to match the instruction; having administrators all work together for three days on this will help that focus.
Ann looks forward to seeing her colleagues embrace some of ideas she’s been sharing. She is a teacher at heart, saying planning lessons is her favorite part of teaching. And, as classes are taught for a full day once a week rather than hourly each day, teachers have many opportunities to use projects, online collaborations, and time for reflection.
“Teaching has gone from the closed system to sharing work on the net and getting responses from other teachers,” she said. Recently students worked on Facebook, sharing a post-it notes project on various topics. And her recent blog post indicates she is looking for some global collaboration!
“I want the principals to be aware of all the possibilities and to be able to support the teachers,” Ann said. “And I want for the teachers to see all the possibilities and not be afraid. It’s too easy to do the same old things. They need to think beyond that.”
A Fresh Start
By Doug Peterson
Fellow, Ontario Cohort 2009
One of the true benefits of a job in education is that you get a chance to reinvent yourself every school year. There are a lot of careers that you might have chosen otherwise that just don’t give you that luxury. Things may change in terms of products that you build, tools that you use, projects that you’re involved with, etc., but it’s only in education that you get a fresh batch of faces and an opportunity for a total refresh every year.
It’s not just K-12, higher education gets that opportunity as well. A brand new set of faces; perhaps new curriculum; a new chance to establish learning routines; an opportunity to try out new tools. These are the parameters that make teaching the profession that it is.
You’ve got the curriculum that needs to be addressed but typically, you’re asked to rely on your professional discretion as to how it will happen in your classroom. While there is the lore of people who have taught a course so often that they have lesson plans laminated and dated, that has to be the stuff that needs to be taken with some scepticism.
It can be difficult to bring in massive change in the middle of a school year, but starting on Day 1, new routines and approaches can be implemented to motivate both teacher and student. Judicious use also can deliver on the promise of engagement and differentiation.
Think of the possibilities.
Textbooks – Do you really need to dig out and assign those moldy old static content deliverers? Does your science textbook still have Pluto listed as a planet? Learning and research is more robust and transparent on the web.
Software – The bane of teachers and IT Departments is ensuring that all of the applications that are installed on classroom computers is done properly and working as it should. Even when they are, they’re only available at school. Ironically, computer use and javelins may be the only things that can’t be sent home as homework. (OK, just kidding about the javelins) Student workspaces are configured and permissions properly assigned. A slip and it leads to frustrations. Change your thoughts from applications needing to be installed to applications web-based that just work. It opens up a whole new world. There are even classroom management environments if you’re in search of one. Flexibility is also required for times of slow connections or maintenance but that’s the world that we live in.
Blogging – There are so many Rs that effective blogging can address. Reading, writing, reflecting, responding. The only challenge will be making the decision about whether it’s a classroom blog or whether each student has her own. Or both? It’s not just a language tool. Think of it as an introspection opportunity in all subject areas where students can dig just a little deeper and comment on the thinking of their peers.
Connecting – Can you remember when an expert might be a short term event with a guest appearing in the classroom? It might happen once a year if the students are lucky. With the proper connections, everyone has the potential to be an expert. Instead of collecting monies to hire an expert for a day, make the connection with another class doing the same thing where they are the experts. Sessions can be as long as they need to be rather than a timetabling nightmare.
Storytelling – There are awesome tools available that allow for remixing, reshaping, and constructing the new story. The tools can also be used in very trivial ways. When I talk, I warn against the “low hanging fruit”. Used properly though, these tools can go far beyond Friday afternoon activities to being a crucial tool for engaging stories to support curriculum. Look for innovative ways of using tools like Google’s StreetView, for example.
Home and School Connection – The use of online tools open the home/school connection in ways never before possible. Rather than a paper newsletter that goes home monthly/weekly, web communication can become a true communication enabler. Find out early if anyone is going to be disadvantaged. You may be surprised at the various ways that parents and students are connected outside the school. Consider this a message to go and make all of the online learning transparent to everyone.
Connections – The personal iPod or cell phone can be the elephant in the room. It’s going to be a fight that you’ll lose so embrace it. These are really powerful devices and banning them leads to under desk one hand texting. Have them out and on the desktop for all to see and establish a protocol for their use. There are times when they are clearly inappropriate but also there are times for learning and active use and discovery. Use them to expand the connectivity in your classroom.
Amalgamating Content – It’s also important that access to all of these resources is easily available to all involved whether it be students, parents, other classes in your school, collaborating classes world-wide, and principals. Make it easy on yourself by looking at a class wiki that’s easily updated without extra tools, FTP, etc. Remember that the wiki isn’t just about you. The more collaborators, the richer the content.
Movies – There was a time when making movies in the classroom involved high-end equipment and specialized lighting, sounds, etc. There still is room for that as a discipline but the world has moved on. Online movie sharing has made this media available to everyone. Cell phones and mini-cameras bring movie making to the masses. Everyone has a story to tell. Even if you aren’t ready to move in that direction, your students are! Don’t forget that screencasting can be equally as compelling. The cool educational thing – making a movie requires a lot of thought and research!
The News – There was a time when current events was an important component of every day but that has faded in some quarters. The connected classroom can bring that back with a vengeance. Subscribe to news feeds or content and you’ll be amazed at what’s available daily. Imagine a click and you’re watching a movie about something relevant to today’s lesson. Or, use any of the earth viewing tools to zoom in on locations and put studies in context. You don’t necessarily have to do the work for yourself. Follow some great blogs or online bookmarking feeds. There are lots of people documenting the best of the best. Why start from scratch?
Do Some Good – As the world becomes smaller when connected, so does awareness of global and local issues. Good global citizens are aware of these issues and can direct their fundraising or benevolence efforts toward them. Once students are aware of the need, it may be difficult deciding where to direct their energies.
Make Something – The availability of all of the reading can lull you and students into being passive consumers of it. You’ll never read it all anyway so don’t try. Read enough and then get moving. Write a program; solve a problem; develop web content; solve a puzzle; take and analyze some measurements; build a birdhouse…
Professional Growth – Before this turns into a book, take time to do something for yourself. You can’t beat going to a conference or other Professional Development event but I would urge you to think of them differently. Instead of a place to go to learn something new, think of them as a place to make connections and consolidate your thoughts. Instead, get yourself a Twitter
account and follow some great educators and others, read some blogs, grab some RSS feeds and do the reading and thinking daily. Don’t just subscribe to people that you can easily agree with. If you consider yourself a liberal in thinking, latch on to one or two conservative voices. They’ll make your blood boil but open up windows to new sides of the discussion.
Yes, it’s September and classrooms and lecture halls can be exactly what you want them to be. The first lessons establish the norms and expectations for the new year. It’s a chance to be exactly what you want to be. So, what do you want to be as you get a fresh start?
image: By tillweTill WestermayePunctuated Professional Development
By Tony Baldasaro
Punctuated Equilibrium
In 1972, paleontologists Stephen Jay Gould and Niles Eldredge developed the theory ofpunctuated equilibrium, which provided an alternative view of evolution. Unlike Darwin’s theory of evolution, which requires millions of years of constant, gradual change to create a new species, their theory postulated that species actually change very little over millions of years and evolution occurs in rapid, relatively rare events that result in two distinct species. Both theories result in divergent species, but the processes needed to result in those species are different.
The Aha! Moment
Last week I had the pleasure of meeting with Perrin Chick. Perrin is the Education Director at the Seacoast Science Center. Located on New Hampshire’s coast in the town of Rye, the Seacoast Science Center’s mission statement proclaims that the Center, “provides exceptional learning experiences in the natural sciences through dynamic and innovative programs and exhibits”. In my new role at the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School (VLACS), I have been meeting with Perrin for about a month trying to iron out the details of providing an experiential learning opportunity for New Hampshire high school students. Through our new partnership with the Seacoast Science Center, VLACS students will be able to earn a high school credit in Marine Science through a blend of experiences gained through volunteering at the Seacoast Science Center and online coursework through VLACS.
We were in the Center’s incredible distance learning facility, (the Gregg Interactive Learning Studio) and thinking back to our last meeting when Perrin expressed some concern over the commitment the Center would have to make to VLACS when she said, “We already have 50 student volunteers here at the Center, I’m not sure we can commit to having more kids here.” The words weren’t out of her mouth when we both realized that we had the chance to make an impact on those 50 kids. That instead of creating a new program, we could provide more value to an existing one.
As we laughed about that earlier concerns and our simultaneous enlightenment, our excitement over not only what this program could mean for students already volunteering at the Center, but also for the possibilities it may open up for other students involved in similar programs grew. Perrin then turned to me and said, “We are changing education one aha! moment at a time.”
Punctuated Professional Development
I complain about the pace of change in education all the time. I’ve been known to refer to it as “glacial”. But, what if education only changes (transforms?) in rapid, but rare “aha!” moments similar to the one that Perrin and I had? Perhaps instead of looking for schools to change, we should be looking for new “species” of schools to evolve. Is Christensen’s and Horn’s notion of disruptive innovation really the educational equivalent topunctuated equilibrium?
If it is indeed the case that change in education is rare, rapid and dramatic, are we not doing professional development wrong? Instead of creating PD that allows for comfortable, gradual (glacial?) change, should we look to develop PD that demands rapid change knowing not all will transform, but those that do will create new species of schooling more evolved than the species we currently have? Change is hard and traditionally it requires time to grieve. But if real, transformative change does occur rapidly, how do educational leaders encourage other educators to embrace those “aha!” moments?
Cross-posted to TransLeadership
I Can’t Change the World, But…..
Susan Carter Morgan
I once told Sheryl Nussbaum Beach I didn’t feel moved to change the world.
We were chatting about all things education–and how some folks are comfortable presenting to large crowds (I’m not), and some feel compelled to change the world of schooling (I wasn’t).
At the time, I felt that my personal line in the sand, which I drew in the sandbox of a classroom, was enough. I could individualize instruction, buy netbooks for my kids, create an inviting atmosphere, offer a variety of ways to assess children, and focus on what worked.
I became comfortable in my own small, corner of the world.
And then last spring, I found myself taking over conversations in department meetings, dinner parties, and family gatherings. Whenever the chats turned to school (and specifically social media), I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. My frustration with how we “do” schools bubbled over. During our last week of vacation, my uncle turned to me mid-rant and said, “Ok then, how do we fix it? How do we make schools better?”
I didn’t have all the answers, but I found myself listing everything that matters to me: giving students voice; empowering teachers to work together and reflect upon their practice; offering choice in curriculum and ways to learn; allowing charter schools (with proper direction and guidance) to flourish; changing the way we sort and rank students.
Ok, so I care. Changing the system seems overwhelming at times, but it’s worth it. Our kids deserve more from us.
These are the folks I’m following these days, watching and learning from them:
Coalition of Essential Schools
Not perfect, perhaps. But at least they are doing the work and not just talking about it. Who else should be highlighted?
cross-posted to scmorgan
Connected Teaching
By Will Richardson
To me, at least, one of the most interesting phrases used in the new National Educational Technology Plan was this: “…using technology to help build the capacity of educators by enabling a shift to a model of connected teaching.” Obviously, this implies much more than being “connected” in the we-all-have-access sense. As the plan goes on to say, it means that “teams of connected educators replace solo practitioners” and that “connection replaces isolation.” And if you really want the money quote, here it is:
In connected teaching, teaching is a team activity. Individual educators build online learning communities consisting of their students and their students’ peers; fellow educators in their schools, libraries, and afterschool programs; professional experts in various disciplines around the world; members of community organizations that serve students in the hours they are not in school; and parents who desire greater participation in their children’s education (6).
All of this ties in neatly with the overall theme of the plan, that learning is no longer “one size fits all” for students or teachers. There is an interesting expectation here that the adults in the room will be able to navigate these online communities in ways that will then inform their own curriculum and classroom teaching. And there is also the expectation that in this connected environment, we’re willing to see ourselves differently, not as the only one responsible for what happens with student learning but as the director of many actors in that goal. It’s a role that is much more complex, I think, much more difficult that simply delivering the curriculum, keeping control over the process, and making sure that our students get over the traditional assessments.
Connected teaching as defined here and as we talk about it in PLP is not easy by any stretch. To complicate matters even more, I would suggest that connected teaching requires a level of participation and sharing within these learning communities that may not be articulated very clearly above. And, it also suggests pretty strongly that teachers own their own learning first, that they see themselves as learners in the classroom alongside of their students. Nothing earth-shatteringly new there, but it sounds like we’re finally starting to look at professional learning differently as well:
Episodic and ineffective professional development is replaced by professional learning that is collaborative, coherent, and continuous and that blends more effective in-person courses and workshops with the expanded opportunities, immediacy, and convenience enabled by online environments full of resources and opportunities for collaboration.
The second half of that sentence is all about self-directed, social learning, not about the painful PowerPoint workshops that we offer to our teachers. I’ve recently been working with a district that over the last two years has given over 300 workshops on various tools, but when I asked them to talk about what significant, real change had come about because of those workshops, there was basically silence in the room. I’ve started saying that the only workshop we should offer our teachers is one titled something like “How to Learn Online,” one that gives teachers some context and some strategy for directing their own learning but places the expectation for DIYPD squarely on their shoulders.
That’s what I find really compelling about PLP, that it supports teachers in developing their own learning goals and strategies, yet at the same time gives them a great sense of potential of these online communities as well. Ultimately, this still is about us, about the decisions we make as “solo practitioners.” But we have to have a different frame, a different context for those decisions now, one that helps us understand our roles as truly connected educators as well.
Self Directed Learning Teams
By Robin Ellis
In the November issue of Educational Leadership there was an interesting article, Students at Bat, as I read it I saw a correlation between the article and conversations about self-directed learning, both for students and adults. The article used an analogy of how playing neighborhood baseball taught many skills to children, for example: they chose teams, picked positions, decided where bases were located, what was considered a home run, and determined batting orders. Older children taught younger children how to bat, run the bases, and how to field the ball. Children resolved their disagreements through conversation, compromise and consensus.
Today most children don’t have the chance to play neighborhood baseball, their leagues are structured and run by adults who pick the teams, determine who plays what position, and create the batting order and the schedule of when games are played. Organized sports today are much like school, kids are told where to sit, who they will work with, when to eat, when to get up, when they can talk, what they will learn, and how they will be measured on their learning. As students move up in grade levels their choices become fewer and fewer, schedules are more structured, and course requirements make their time in school more restrictive. They have fewer opportunities to learn about sharing, resolving disputes through compromise and consensus. They are rarely asked to participate in conversations to decide about their learning goals, rules of conduct, or classroom procedures. In some instances these same structures apply to educational professional development as well.
Yet, we talk of self-directed learning and its importance in education today. Usually the conversations are centered on students being self directed learners and the difficulties they seem to have understanding this concept, but this is a new experience for many teachers as well. I believe most people are used to menu option of professional development sessions offered through their employer. Many chose to attend sessions that fit into the time constraints of their lives, whether they are the most relevant or not. Through PLP it has been my pleasure to watch throughout all of the cohorts; strong, self directed learners emerge. For many this was a new experience, a yearlong job embedded personal learning opportunity, in which all participants had choice, not only of where and when they would participate, but also choice in topics of interest they wanted to learn more about, have collegial conversations with others, ask questions to clarify understanding, dig deeper, and grow personally and professionally. It was not an easy journey for everyone, the reality everyone was responsible for their own learning was a shift, and a revealing one. I remember last fall one day Scott Godshalk, a teammate of mine said,
“I’m just not sure what I should be doing, I keep waiting for someone to tell me what to do”. Once the words were out of his mouth, he seemed to realize he was in charge of what he was doing, and ultimately of what he would learn throughout the year. The benefits he would gain would stem from the time and energy he invested in the experience and conversations he felt were relevant to his learning.
As all cohorts participate in their last Elluminate session, a time designated to sharing their projects before coming together face to face for final celebrations, there is overwhelming evidence teams of strong, self-directed learners have formed within the communities of cohorts. The projects for sustaining and scaling the learning which has taken place this year are varied in scope and delivery methods. Most importantly, all are rooted in change and evidence of the collaborative learning environments we have been immersed in.
On Growing Mushrooms and Community
By Karen Richardson
As an early birthday gift, my husband gave me a mushroom growing kit. It was pretty much a box of dirt with a bag of “starter,” which I think were spores in peat moss. I spread the contents of the bag over the dirt, spritzed with water, and then covered it up with plastic. Waited patiently. When I opened the plastic, I discovered that the contents of the bag had begun to grow, not into mushrooms yet, but into a white web of organic material that spread over the dirt. There were some areas where the web was thicker. In other places, only thin strands made the connection. But the web was there. I spritzed some more and covered it with cloth to protect from drafts. More patient waiting. Then, one day I lifted the cloth, and there were tiny white heads in amongst the web. Teeny tiny mushrooms! I spritzed a bit, covered and…you guessed it…waited patiently. The next time I lifted the cloth, I discovered full-sized mushrooms rising from the web.
As I harvested a few this morning, I couldn’t help but think about the community that I have been a part of for the six months or so. It’s grown in a very similar way. In the case of my cohort, independent school teachers from across the United States came together. Sheryl and Will spread the starter and did the initial spritzing by developing a compelling professional development experience for these teachers. And they made sure they didn’t forget about the dirt: there was a strong support structure of both people and tools of which I was just one piece.
Then, we waited patiently. Probably the biggest difference between mushrooms and learning communities is the time involved. Mushrooms…about six weeks. Professional learning communities…potentially a lifetime. But, at the least, several months. Being part of this community was a reminder to me that change, especially in education, takes time and patience. But the web began to grow, supporting the voices of participants as they learned and grew together.
Mary Lou shared her hopes and fears as she faced the journey ahead:
“I teach fifth grade math, and I am struggling with how I can incorporate technology tools in what I presently do in the classroom. Misty May Trainor on Dancing with
the Stars tonight made a statement about learning to dance that seems very appropriate at this time. She said that learning something you have never done before is the most uncomfortable feeling. I think it will take time and practice in order to be comfortable with the tools to the extent that their use becomes somewhat second nature. I am also excited, and I share your fear of not having time to thoroughly explore the facets of Web 2.0/technology tools on a day-to-day basis.”
As some participants expressed concerns about how they would find the time to get involved, Shelley offered her gentle support:
“I think it can be challenging for educators to embrace the process/journey approach for ourselves because we tend to come to this profession after being very successful at “doing school.” It’s hard to face all the unlearning, and non-linearity and “gray” and not feel unsettled. But stress kills learning, so we need to find a way to make peace with the journey, or we risk shutting down. Though it may sound simplistic, one thing I try to do is remember to be forgiving of myself for not having “the answers,” and proud of myself for being willing to ask questions, consider big ideas and push myself into uncomfortable territory. The fact that we’re all here learning together is no small thing. It’s something that many of our colleagues — master teachers though they may be — are not yet ready to do. That’s something.”
The community became the place where they could return to share their new knowledge. Nanci wrote, “Since the consortium and Ning I feel like I’ve been all over the place – blogs, rss readers, google apps, and so much more. So it’s been a hands-on period of processing, experimenting and sampling . Thanks for the reminder to come back to where it all started and to share the resources. I am reminded that an important part of this process is to share as I go along rather than waiting until I have a finished project.”
Now, as the teams plan and implement their projects, we see the potential for expanding that web. The teams are spreading the starter and doing some spritzing in their own schools, providing the fertile ground where the web can grow, nurtured by patience, time and support. At least one team has already implemented a learning fair at their school. You can learn more about it at the wiki and read Julia’s reflection as well. The purpose of the fair was not just to spread the word about cool tools but to help teachers begin to see the potential of these tools to support student-centered pedagogies. Wendy wrote about how their conceptual approach has moved away from the tools:
“The theme of our discussion was to focus less on the tools and technology and more on teaching strategies and learning outcomes that support active authentic learning. Our ultimate goal is to increase the number of teachers at our school who think in terms of active learning and begin to incorporate technology that supports this framework. However, past experience tells us that change is more difficult for some than for others…The nice thing about the conversation is that teachers really started thinking about how to put more of the learning responsibility on the students. Our final challenge at the end of the discussion was to try one thing in the classroom in the next 3 weeks that reflects “more them, less us”. In other words, one activity that puts the responsibility for learning on the student. I know this seems small, but we were pleased with the direction of the discussion. We hope to share the results in April…Sometimes small starts turn into big leaps.”
Never still
By Lani Ritter-Hall
First the tide rushes in
Plants a kiss on the shore
Then rolls out to sea
And the sea is very still once more
Ebb Tide, The Righteous Brothers
With the ebb and the flow, ripples continue to grow as more members of the Illinois Ohio cohort engage in blogging in and out of the cohort space reflecting on their learning—
“I thought I had this teaching thing down to a science, but this year PLP has rocked my world. I started using a tablet computer last year and was using Moodle and other 2.0 tools, but PLP has opened my eyes far beyond a tool. I am now talking to my students about their own personal learning networks. I am working with showing them how their learning goes far beyond the 4 walls in my classroom.” –Pat Grove
“I met with my PLP group on Wednesday night for some yummy Thai food. We needed to cement plans for our project that we’d be hemming and hawing about. After quite a bit of discussion (and again, some yummy food!) I think we came to a consensus. Our project will be connecting.“ –Christen Fouss
“Being on the edge of this shift has been very energizing for me, but it has also been very frustrating. Many times, I have more questions than answers. I’ve never been a “think-outside-the-box” kind of person, yet I find that I have to continue to push myself to see how my classroom may benefit from changes in procedure. I’m gathering information from blogs, from my Twitter network and my Ning colleagues. I’m processing the sample lesson plans and assessment options available to me in the hope that I may also be able to give back and share ideas with others, who are also trying to build new procedures that make sense for our time, and replace systems that no longer work in the 21st century.” –Sherry Amorocho
“…somehow while I wasn’t looking I became a 21st century learner. Transformative professional development through PLP with guidance from fellow learners Will Richardson, Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, the Illinois-Ohio Cohort members, and cohort members from around the globe has energized my thinking, teaching, learning, and life.”–Tricia Buck
in connecting with Twitter
“I have met multiple Modern Language teachers from the UK currently using exciting and innovative web 2.0 tools to enhance their language class. My Twitter buddy in California has helped me with all my accent mark trials and tribulations. An educator and translator in Spain continually send me great links to anything from online dictionaries to funny videos about language learning.” –Sherry Amorocho
“I’m finding that as a librarian Twitter keeps me up-to-date on YALSA awards and other ALA postings of interest. I also find that some of the “experts” I follow will TWEET an occasional interesting link worth following.” –Judith Condren Stuckey
and in thinning the walls of their classrooms for their students.
“I can’t imagine not using a wiki. It keeps me connected to the class even when I am out for a meeting and they are working with a sub. I can send comments to students whenever I find a need to do this without writing myself a note. I love what this wonderful tool is capable of accomplishing and hope to find even more ways to utilize its power.” –Darlene Andre
“Celestehopkins: just skyped with Ms. Lucas’ class in PA. Kids shared some info and reports. Voicethread in progress.” –Celeste Hopkins from Twitter
And eddies increase as teams seek to measure the velocity of the tide and its impact on their navigation through their intended projects—
And then—an Elluminate session– when that tide rushes in again and again as Sheryl and Will push and nudge, and push back anew, encouraging “shifts” to 21st Century Learning. A “tools” shallow bar, which thus far has managed to hold back those with significant draft, is challenged once more. And it’s in the third session, that the “learning tide” gains on the “tools” shallow as voices begin to respond to the flow with “WOW” and finally,
at the peak of the tide– “I get it, I get it.”
The heights of those tides, changed by the shifts in the sand, will continue to rise and the sea will never be still once more–
As Confidence Builds
by Robin Ellis
One of the challenges of my position in the district where I work has been how to “teach” others about social networking, how do you convey the benefits of virtual personal learning communities / networks, in a 3 hour workshop? How do you cover all the options, explore all the tools available to assist in creating those communities, and also build a comfort level for those interested, but who most likely have never been involved in something like this? As I reflect on my participation in PLP over the past several months and look at the foundations that have been laid for all teams across the cohorts participating this year and examine the structure in place it helps to answer the questions I struggle with. My conclusion is I don’t think you can adequately teach these concepts in an hour or two, to honestly understand the value, having the opportunity to be immersed in the conversations/immersed in the environment is the best way to learn.
What I have been able to see throughout all of the cohorts is the growth of individuals in this environment, there are emerging voices, those who are becoming comfortable are beginning to start discussions, add comments to posts others have made, share their own teaching experiences, as well as personal experience. Here is an example of one who has begun to incorporate some of the tools we have been learning about in PLP in her personal life.
One of the things I remember Will saying at our first meeting was a way to be successful with technology this year. He said that we are all so busy, so technology can’t be added to your life, but must take the place of something you already do. He used the example of how he used to watch the news, but now he uses technology to stay informed. I really thought that was important for me to remember this year. So what I’ve tried to do is use and learn about technology in the things I am already spending much time on. I attended a workshop on gifted students. The keynote speaker was talking about using technology with gifted students, he talked about 21st century skills, web 2.0, wikis, blogs, nings, etc. I understood everything he was talking about and used much of what he talked about with my students. This is the first time ever that I have understood more technology than many other teachers. I am so proud of what I have done the past few months and how much I have learned.
New Jersey cohort member Laura Sipes.
She started using tools she had been introduced to in her cohort, in her personal life, and as a result has gained confidence and understanding in the value of using technology as an integral part of what you do every day rather than add it on to your daily life.
Another portion of a post, from Scott Godshalk, principal, Tohickon Valley Elementary School.
Last year, I tried, unsuccessfully, to facilitate the use of a wiki at our school. I asked teachers to post a reflective document of their work during their Collaboration Sessions. As I reflected on this, I realized I dove in headfirst with the concept of a wiki. This was a new idea for the teachers, and a new way to collaborate. Teachers followed through with this expectation, and posted their Collaboration Session reflections, but there weren’t any additional comments, posts, or discussions about the content of their work. This year, I took a couple steps back, but pushed forward with the idea of a wiki. I send out a weekly bulletin to share my reflections and give teachers my thoughts on school and district initiatives. I spend a great deal of time preparing the weekly bulletin. Recently, I had an epiphany. Why am I working so hard on this? There is a school full of brilliant teachers who have fantastic ideas. They should help me with this! For the last two weeks, I posted a simple question on the wiki site, and had the teachers write a brief response to this question. The results have been phenomenal. Last week, I asked teachers what it means to teach in the year 2008. To be an effective teacher, what are the words that come to mind? Their response was awesome. Our staff is beginning to enter a new phase of collaboration.
Others are beginning to blog, some are sharing classroom experience, resources for teaching and professional development, creating Delicious accounts and sharing web sites with their cohorts. It is remarkable to see the growth of individuals who are supported and encouraged as they expand their knowledge and level of comfort in an area, just a few short months ago; many had never been introduced to before. This is the work of PLP, creating environments for collaboration and learning in ways that are relevant to all of us.
