Archive for November, 2005

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Ups & downs

Tuesday, November 15th, 2005

I am having some ups

and downs with my high school blogging project. Mostly the downs have

centered around the technology not working well, lack of lab space, and

other glitches that we all experience that have nothing to do with the

instructional part. Plus, never enough time!  To make a long story

short, things are starting to come together but for the first time I

find myself with a group that I can’t just write everything I’d like to

write. I really want to honor these students and not betray their

trust. I want to write more specifically about various happenings but

instinct tells me to wait. My posts on the class blogs ring hollow to

me. I can’t just tell it like it is. Partly that’s because I have a lot

of learning to do and I’ve learned to hold back my tendency to judge

too quickly. I learn a lot more if I think, observe, and then rethink

some more.   One group comes with a bundle of baggage that

has nothing to do with technology or instruction but you have to drive

right through it to get to the learning part. There are curves, paths

and various disruptions that are part of the daily routine. I believe

that the one with the most flexibility ends up exerting the most

influence and I want you to know that I feel like Gumby! I am flexible!

I love this group and they are good thinkers. They don’t know how to

write. They don’t know how to be “appropriate”. And there are a lot of

other don’t know how tos. It is going to be a very unstable group in

that two have already left the class - one quit school and one may have

to go to another type class. I may not have the same group at the end

that I started with in the beginning.  I probably should have this

as a closed blog but that defeats the purpose of what I’m trying to

accomplish. So I am going to persevere and try to learn and see what

will work. One thing is probably a definite - I will learn through

making mistakes. They just can’t be major. The other down which I hope

blogs will help is their lack of writing skills. Initially with every

group I have to pull myself out of the despair I feel when I see the

poor writing by far more of them than there should be. They should be

much further along. So when will we truly make writing a priority in

our schools?

The ups - really neat students who challenge my thinking and still want

to learn despite past experiences that haven’t been the best. I’m

working with a group of  fantastic

teachers who want to learn more about blogging and the new

technologies. They are always willing to go the extra mile to make

learning more relevant for their students. Plus a support system of

blogging buddies I can turn to for guidance, feedback and any kind of

help I need as I keep

trying to figure out how to get those voices out there! Yep, as always

the UPS win! That’s why we teach.


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Posted in Imported, Learning | Comments Off

Meet my friends in my aggregator

Monday, November 14th, 2005

This is without a doubt the best plans for a workshop on RSS that I’ve seen. What a grand way to begin the week!  Meet my friends in my aggregator

lays out the plans Dean has for a “party” to introduce people to the

people he has met and read over the past year. It is using visuals and

analogies in the most creative way. It really tells the story of our

learning.  Dean

talks about how our typical basics of feeds, XML, bloglines etc.

somehow lacks the personal touch and doen’t get to the conversational

aspect and connectivism that veteran bloggers enjoy.

I’d say he has added that personal touch and painted a picture of how

the conversations and connections inspire learning. You’ve got to go

read the entire post. He is going to be doing three different sessions

next week. I can’t wait to hear how they go. Wow! Well done, Dean, well

done!

It got me thinking how we need to incorporate the use of visuals and

story telling within our students’ blogging. I am forming some ideas

for my groups as I type this post.

This is a wonderful model!. Thanks for sharing, Dean! His blog, Ideas and thoughts from an EdTech is one of my favorite reads! If his blog is not included in your aggregator, add it now!
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Posted in Imported, Learning | Comments Off

So far it has been a blast….

Sunday, November 13th, 2005

Amy’s “Things Have to Work” post is right on target.She says

More and more I’m finding very frustrated teachers and technologists on

the verge of breakdowns because the infrastructure is not up to par. So

consider yourself lucky if you have up-to-date technology that works

ALL THE TIME. The one way to lose momentum with teachers and kill a

program is to have slow internet access and different versions of

Microsoft Office on every computer.

I’m living that

scenario this year with my blog projects at the high school. The

computers are slow. The laptop carts seldom work. Labs are not readily

available for students. Now this is a progressive high school that has

technology in place but keeping it updated and working seamlessly is a

real problem. You have one instructional technology specialist who is

overworked and spread so thin that it is unbelievable. Yet she says, “So far it has been a blast.”

She sees the potential. She is making blogging a priority.  My hat

is off to her and  I am in for the long haul. We will persevere.

But yes, there are many days that I too feel like shouting from the

rooftops!  So, when I said  “Being literate requires

being part of the network.”  That

was a quote that I have read so many times that I did not know who to

give credit to  for saying it first but we need to add that

the network needs to work and work well!.

Thanks Amy for your post. It is most important!

Posted in About Weblogs, Imported | 2 Comments »

Questions to answer

Saturday, November 12th, 2005

I received an email from an Elementary Education major at Mississippi Valley State University. She had a class assignment to contact at least two individuals who are in a technology leadership position and interview them via e-mail regarding three main issues. Now I don’t know about a technology leadership position but apparently some elementary education majors are reading blogs and I think that’s a great thing. I really had to struggle to answer the questions.I thought I’d share my answers with you and invite input on what you think. That would be a good post to share with the student and each other. I’ve asked her to share other answers she receives, if that’s possible. Here are the questions and my answers:

1. What are the largest problems that you face in technology integrations?

The largest problem that we face in technology implementations is our outmoded paradigm of education. Traditional models of education are built around the teacher being the expert and the one that dispenses knowledge to students. Curriculum is delivered mainly through the lecture mode. We are teaching from textbooks that in many cases are outdated as they go to print. This has to change before technology can realize its promise. The fact that we are networked and connected to virtually all the written knowledge in the world and have it available in our classrooms and homes requires that we embrace and define a new definition of literacy in our digital age. We have to understand how to use it in our schools. The traditional teaching model must be revamped where the lecture mode is not predominant and critical thinking and application is the desired outcome, not regurgitation of facts. Educators need to be involved in designing this kind of learning. We need to work with colleagues, both in our school buildings and beyond. We need chances to learn from one another’s successes and failures and to share ideas and knowledge worldwide. Students need the same opportunities for learning through these connections. How we access, use, and communicate information is changing daily. We have to be stakeholders in that learning process.

Another major problem is our current high stakes testing requirements that are the main basis, really the only basis, currently for evaluation of learning and teaching. Teachers will never be motivated to embrace technology if their evaluation is based on test results that don≠t give any value on how to access, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize vast quantities of information. Yet, these literacy skills are the very ones we need to be teaching and learning in this informational age. An outdated educational system and a method of evaluation that promotes the continuation of that system haveto be changed before technology can ever begin to realize its potential.

In addition, the limited staff development available in schools has focused on the computer, not technology≠s role in learning and teaching. We do not have the support systems in place for educators to begin reconceptualizing their role to enable learning with the aid of technology. There is no priority in place to provide teachers the time to develop an understanding of how technology can transform the way we teach and learn.

2. How important is planning the overall picture of the environment in which they operate?

Learning can occur in every environment but what is important is that access is available for all. Being literate requires being part of the network.

3. What is the single best piece of advice you could me and others who are trying to provide leadership for teachnology use?

First and foremost, provide good models of actual use of technology with students. Be a part of the online community. Join in on the conversations. Keep your eye on creating a vision for education that will work for the new literacies we must achieve for the 21st century.

I would invite you to create a blog and begin discussing some of the questions you asked. Blog about what answers you received. Get in on the conversations about learning and technology. Read other educational blogs and respond to them. Share what you are learning. Share your thinking. Be open to the ideas and thoughts from others. We have to collaborate
and share so we can create learning environments that are meaningful to students and us. I can tell you that I have learned more from blogging than any other professional development I have had. Be in control of your own learning and then mirror that to your students.

Posted in Imported, Learning | 3 Comments »

Rockdale bloggers

Wednesday, November 9th, 2005

Today Hillary Meeler is presenting a session “Why Weblogs Work in K-12 Education at the GaETC conference at the Georgia International Convention and Trade Center 

in College Park, Georgia. She is joined by Dawn Tincher, Sandi Dennis

and Derek Forte. All of these fine educators come from Rockdale County,

my old teaching grounds. I miss blogging with Hillary this year 

but have the good fortune to be blogging and learning at the high

school with Dawn this year.  I wish I could be there to hear the

presentation. I know they will knock the socks off the attendees. Check

out the blog presentation and take a look around BlogWrite while you’re there. I never tire of  seeing the excellent student work!


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Posted in Conferences, Imported | Comments Off

Guidelines for blogging

Tuesday, November 8th, 2005

This past week I took a blogging break. I took some vacation time. It was a little over a week off just do some things that really needed doing. It was time to just think and not feel pulled here or pulled there. Plus, having time to do some things I wanted to do just for fun. No deadlines, no rush, no schedule! It was great. I want more vacations like that!

Today I’m back at work. Back to blogging! It’s good to be back. First order of the day was going through an avalanche of email. One email from an educator in Washington got me thinking. His system is providing blogs for all teachers in the district who want them. He was investigating the protocols/policies or guidelines for blog use/posting, etc. that others may have developed. I referred him to several sites where the topic had been discussed. What got me really thinking though was that most of the guidelines focused on what NOT to do like…….

  • not use last names
  • not plagiarize
  • not post personal info like addresses or phone numbers
  • not use profanity
  • not use destructive criticism

It got me thinking about a class I took years ago. The speaker was talking about all our NOT rules and how that makes the students focus on what NOT to do. I agree. Don’t get me wrong, I agree with these NOTS but I think we are missing the boat. We need to focus on the possibilities. I know. Here I go again on the possibilities but that is the heart of it all for me. I really think blogs could be a platform to redefine education. I want that redefining to include the voices of students. Students really need to be engaging in this type of thinking. I’ve found that many of them don’t know how to reflect and talk about their learning experiences. Why would they? We haven’t really given them much time for this type of writing. We haven’t given them much time to talk about how they learn; it’s mainly about what they learn. We need to change that. We need to talk more with our students and really listen. We need to help them with learning how to express their thoughts and help us understand the changing learning arena.

OK, my new and improved guidelines for blogging:

For students:

  • practice writing their thoughts about what they are learning, what they understand and don’t understand, why it is meaningful or not
  • making connections to their learning by exploring what others have written about it on the web
  • contributing their ideas on how our schools could be restructured to have them excited about and believing that they will actually use the information they have acquired in school. What’s
  • striving to improve your writing and take risks
  • with expressing your ideas and bouncing those ideas off of a much larger audience
  • providing a good model of blogging that will convince others that you are thinking and learning (and improving your writing)
  • developing a distinct voice that will make a difference
  • striving for writing that matters
  • expressing your opinion but backing it up with well thought out reasons
  • learning to collaborate
  • asking questions that will make a reader think and want to comment
  • realizing that inappropriate comments can be handled in such a way that negates their impact
    I started this list with students in mind but it works for us, too. Another guideline to go along with the blogging:

    • having face-to-face communication and discussions between teachers and students.

    That’s what teachers need to be blogging about and sharing with other educators. Now I’m not
    done thinking. This is just my initial brainstorm. What do you think?

Posted in Imported, Learning | 9 Comments »

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