And the research says...

Today is going to be a really fun day for me. Today is the day that Andrew presents his final project based on the research he was doing and the request that he shared, What do you see as the Future of education, last month on my blog. Thanks go to my local friends Jimbo Lamb, Jim Gates and Chris Champion for sharing some of their experiences. I was humbled by the number of folks in my network: Sylvia Martinez, , Liz Kolb, Doug Johnson, Steve Hargadon who took time to reach out and share information with Andrew. He got a video and note from Dorothy in New Zealand demonstrating how far information can reach. Andrew really took the ball and ran with it, contacting these educators and corresponding with them in a very professional way. He initiated a visit to SLA where he had the opportunity to see Chris Lehmann's high school in action. The work he did was phenomenal and I can't wait to see his presentation.
Here are his slides as a teaser...but if you would like to see it for yourself...

Andrew has asked me if I would be willing to stream his presentation and run the backchannel.

So today, starting at approximate 11:10 EDT he will be broadcasting on The Connected Classroom on Livestream. Please come join us and show his classmates how truly connected we all are.

Time in King of Prusia

the_connected_classroom on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

h-SGP

What do YOU see as the future of Education

I read George Sieman's request for help Defining the Future of Education at the same time a student at my school came seeking my assistance doing the same. He is working on his State Mandate senior graduation project and is examining learning theory, how people learn, and how technology is impacting schools. His original plan was to do an "in school" panel and have the teachers at our 1:1 high-school share their thoughts, but as he started his research he realized that he wanted to use the tools and ideas he was reading about and bring in a larger audience of educators for his application project. He asked me to send the following out to my network:

Subject: My E-mail to the educators
Hello,

My name is Andrew Wisniewski and I am a senior at Upper Merion Area High School in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. For my end of the year project I have decided to explore education and how technology is changing how students learn. Ms. Hokanson has helped me by creating a drop box and by forwarding this email to all of you. You can help me by visiting, http://drop.io/FutureEd and leaving me your thoughts about the future of education. In my drop.io, you will see that you can upload a picture, a text note or even call the dropbox.
Here are some ways you can share your thoughts

• Go to http://drop.io/FutureEd and upload a file, record or add a note
  
• E-mail a note, picture or video clip futureed@drop.io
• Call 646-495-9205 x 95270 and leave your message via voice-mail

Please describe your role in education and let me know how you feel technology can change education; not only presently but also in the future. If it is fine with you, please state your name and with your permission I may contact you again regarding this subject. This will be an excellent addition to my presentation and I appreciate your insights about education.
I would be grateful for any input you can provide.

Thank you so much for your time,
Andrew Wisniewski

You can see the beginning of Andrew's work here...
• Andrew Wisniewski • Mr. Schurtz •

His classroom teacher has a closed ning community where the students are documenting the process of this project. Andrew has taken a number of classes through Virtual High School (VHS) so has had some unique experiences. His plan is to take the ideas, images, video clips and calls to create an iMovie to share with his classmates and perhaps have his classmates leave messages for future students (using some of these tools as well) about how to be successful in a 21st Century Learning Environment. Really his project will evolve as he gets more feedback from all of YOU....so how about it? Why not visit Andrew's drop.io and leave YOUR thoughts about the future of education.

Ten Ideas 4 Using Tech in the Science Classroom

Patty Duncan
http://techiescitchr.wikispaces.com/

Free Videos by Ustream.TV

Ten Ideas 4 Using Tech in the Science Classroom

All resources are on this webpage

PROVIDING CONTENT NOTES

Several new site for me Lab Out loud-podcast site by nsta

http://laboutloud.com

Great content for classrooms

Pete's Power Point Station

http://www.pppst.com

Good place to start - take as a base.

OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPLORE

Patty has a great list of interactive sites

Http://www.exploratorium.com

http://www.epa.gov/kids/ GREAT ideas for using the water cycle...interactive, labs, make pamphlets...

Great idea flickr images for Data collection- creating groups

Voicthread....DE Streaming video put into a voice thread that the kids comment on FUN first grade.

Here is Patty's class wikispace with examples of student work

Once again Evernote has come up - I MUST investigate this further

Clusty clustered search engine! We NEED to share this with our teachers!

One more thing to chck out- SHARE TABS

sharetabs.com/7ey aggregates sites that you want kids to use visually

GREAT EXAMPLES!!!!!

all linked on Patty's site from the top!

WOW...this is why I come to this conference

Technorati Tags: petec2010 DEN yoyosciteach

Web 2.0 for Reflection and Assessment

PETE & C 2010

Am using this year's PETE &C conference as a way to get back to blogging. It is going to be a BUSY week as this year we have launched several exciting additions of the Social Network Lounge and the PETE&C ning. Check back for session notes and ideas!

Leading from the Middle: Keystones 09

Five years ago, I had a powerful learning experience that changed me as a person and a teacher. Today starts the 2009 Keystone Summit....I have been lucky enough to have been chosen to come back each year and work with teachers to help them understand how technology is more than a tool, but a powerful way to connect them to their students. The week long "boot camp" style of professional development builds a powerful learning community that is enhanced through their ability to communicate long beyond the week that they spend learning with and about one another.
This morning we will hear from Steve Sassman about ways to lead from the middle. I am sure this will be yet another powerful year.

Technorati Tags: kti09 keystones stevesassman

Leading by Example

Scott McLeod put a call out for Leadership Day, so I thought I would reflect on the new NET*S standards for Administrators that were released at NECC.
2002 NET*S for Administrators


When I look at the 2002 NET'S for Administrators what stands out to me is
Learning Educational Leaders Support Technology Use...
The focus is on the support of use, not necessarily using it themselves.

Whereas looking at 2009 NET*S for Administrators I see so much more...
Educational Administrators Learning USE Technology

• Model effective digital tools use
• Promote resources
• Shared model
• Support digital age
  

2009 NET*S for Administrators
The 5 key strands include:

1. Visionary Leadership. Inspire and lead development and implementation of a shared vision for comprehensive integration of technology to promote excellence and support transformation throughout the organization.
2. Digital Age Learning Culture. Create and sustain a dynamic, digital-age learning culture that provides a rigorous, relevant education for all students.
3. Excellence in Professional Practice. Promote an environment of professional learning and innovation that empowers educators to enhance student learning through the infusion of contemporary technologies and digital resources.
4. Systemic Transformation. Provide leadership and management to continuously improve the organization through the effective use of information and technology resources.
5. Digital Citizenship. Model and facilitate understanding of social, ethical and legal issues and responsibilities related to an evolving digital culture.

Wow...Do you see see Systemic Transformation is its own strand?
ISTE recognizes that Administrators play a pivotal role in determining how well technology is used in our schools. The NET*S revision is designed to show what administrators need to know and be able to do in order to responsibly lead in the effective use of technology in our schools.

"Integrating technology throughout a school system is, in itself, significant systemic reform. We have a wealth of evidence attesting to the importance of leadership in implementing and sustaining systemic reform in schools. It is critical, therefore, that we attend seriously to leadership for technology in schools." — Don Knezek, ISTE CEO

So how do we get administration to move beyond the fear of lawsuits, blocking key resources, and banning tools that kids have in their pockets to THIS vision....or do we become the administrators ourselves :)

Read more Leadership Day 09 posts...

Technorati Tags: leadership administration leadershipday09 mcleod netsa istenets

Supporting Reluctant Swimmers-or letting them drown?

Image by WoofBC via Flickr

I left this as a comment over at Duff's blog but I have really been struggling with similar thoughts. I have used the “pool metaphor” many times in the past but the more I thought about the post and the comments, the more I felt like I needed to expand my ideas about our responsibility for getting folks to "test the waters" to support our “reluctant swimmers” to start seamlessly integrating technology into their teaching process.

In her post Durff asks

How far are we to go with other educators? If we instruct on the technological skills, isn't our responsibility done? Isn't it the responsibility of individual educators to swim?...in the comments she says “I jumped in on my own,”

I have to wonder how many folks would jump in at all if they were afraid of the water. As David Truss points out, "too many people fear drowning and never get into the pool” and that in most Teacher Ed programs the amount of technology skill they leave the program with seems to be optional... to me that's like throwing a non-swimmer into the deep end.

I have to be honest, the more summer professional development I do, and the more in-service workshops I do, the more I worry about this. I spend a day or two, sometimes a week “teaching folks to swim.” I give them the skills and we go SLOW. We work on voice threads, and wikis…easy entry points. I model (swim along with them) give them support (sometimes putting on water-wings) but at the end of our time together I feel like I am still throwing “non-swimmers” into the deep end. My greatest fear, is that without a guide swimming beside them, they may find themselves close to drowning and perhaps no longer want to go to the pool :(
Candace Hackett Shively explained this beautifully in her post The Swimmer’s Obligation

I do not recall figuring out that I could not swim. I do not remember discovering the power of water. I try to imagine how it felt. I could not get my feet to touch the bottom at the same time as I opened my mouth to gasp above the surface, and I had no idea what to do about it. But some kind parent or bigger person reached under my armpits and supported me, laughing and congratulating me for a great jump. He or she likely placed my hands on the pitted concrete of the pool’s edge and told me to “kick big kicks and blow big bubbles.” Trusting, I must have done so, because eventually I learned to swim.

What happens when the support is not there? Unlike Candace, I DO remember the minute I figured out I couldn’t swim. I was 5 years old. I had just gotten my cast taken off that prevented me from having swim lessons all spring.. I was standing at the edge of the deep end and one of the older neighbor boys, thinking I could swim, pushed me in. I am 40 years old, but I remember to this DAY the fear I felt, struggling to get to the surface. I recall my fear and remember being pulled from the water barely breathing. Although I did go on to become a competent swimmer that experience had an impact on me that summer. I became, for a long time, very tentative around water.

There has been talk in the edtech community for a long time that we need to stop talking about the tools, but I disagree. You are always going to have those non-swimmers who finally find their way to the edge of the pool. Teach them what the water feels like and support them as they develop confidence in using the tool. When I share a tool like voicethread with a teacher, they can see so many ways it can be used in the classroom. They get excited about the potentials but they don’t understand the many concepts that go into it, embedding, and sharing, and privacy, and moderating comments, are so new to them…They are excited about being at the pool's edge, but it is like being thrown into that deep end for the first time.

Sure I can teach them the skills to use it, but I know from experience with my own children that I would not trust the swim lessons alone, nor the life vest for them to develop confidence in the water. I know just how far away from the wall I can move before my 7 year old gets frustrated. I knew that if I could just tread in the water beside him...on the other side of the lane…that my 9 year old could pass the test that earned him a green band allowing him the independence he was so desperately seeking. They need me as a coach and a guide continuing to support them, pushing them to take risks, and being to there to support them and pull them up when they go under or feel uncomfortable. Unfortunately teachers more often than not don’t have this. Sure, we give them the skills, but then too often we send them back to schools that don’t have the equipment or the support and ask them to “jump in.” The biggest piece of feedback I get in every professional development workshop I offer is…”I wish there was someone at my school that could work with me as I learn to do this with my kids” They are not lazy, or traditional, they don’t fear change, they are just reluctant to jump in the water- they are afraid of drowning…they don’t understand what that water feels like and want a guide to support them when they are struggling

There was also some talk in the comments on Durff’s post that administrators must make technology a priority if we are to get teachers to "take the time" to explore new things- it is one of the things that is driving me to complete my administrative certification. Provide opportunities for teachers to see what is possible (take them to the pool), Give them the skills they need (the swim lessons). Provide support for them and swim along side the teachers. Only then will you have competent swimmers.

My friend Marcie Hull from SLA talks about how technology at their school is like air. It is just always present and you don't even recognize it exists. This is because at SLA they are competent swimmers, surrounded with support when they are ready to try a new skill & test new waters. Until we can give teachers confidence in the water, I am afraid we may continue to see them simply sitting at the edge of the pool. I'd love to hear your thoughts...are we supporting reluctant swimmers or just pushing them in to let them drown?

Technorati Tags: durff integration techliteracy professionaldevelopment teachersfirst davidtruss

Teacher Teach thy self

The Choir is Tired

Technorati Tags: necc09, SLA, ecram3, tbest, MarcieHull, TimBest

Here Comes Learning

More Power to the Unconference

I have to say that I haven't had much time to reflect during the conference, but I notice as I sit in the blogger cafe the number of folks who have been leaving sessions formal approved session, and coming to the bloggers cafe' to exchange information, share ideas.  I left a byol session where once I took a minute to experiment with the tool, was left 5 steps behind the speaker frustrated and discouraged. The real learning at this conference isn't going on behind closed doors, seated in rows, with the speaker in the front shuffling their powerpoints--showing and telling. It is in places where people can get together in small groups share, converse, and experiment. 

As I listened to the debate this morning I think we do need places for teachers and kids to go..to discuss..to learn...to research...to share, but it must be side by side not one to many.

Technorati Tags: necc09, ebc09, unconference

Bricks & Mortar Schools are Detrimental to Education

Malcom Gladwell Keynote at NECC

Technorati Tags: necc09, malcomgladwell

Can public schools fundamentally reinvent themselves?

I arrived a little late at this GREAT conversation led by Jon Becker and Scott McLeod about whether or not schools can reinvent themselves...

Below are my notes: reflections in italics- things that stood out to me in bold.

As I arrived at the session and sat down David Jakes made the statement If we were having this conversation in 1977 would my English class look the same in 2009 as it would in 1977....Do you think 20 years from now it will look the same...20 years from now you may STILL see rows of kids writing essays?
I am concerned that this just may be.  I haven't seen many fundamental changes..perhaps this is why I am getting my admin cert, but I wonder if I (like many others) will get frustrated that I can't instill changes.

Collette Cassinelli brought up this point...what if the kids aren't there---drop out rates have been extraordinary.  It was the feeling of the group that we are now at the beginning of the S-Curve there is innovation happening, but it is just not rapid change...

Sylvia Martinez made a great point...if you go back to 1878 there was a huge social movement that had nothing to do with education that forced the changes...that caused a movement that resulted in the public schools we have today...Sylvia seemed to feel that it will be a social crisis a social problem that will force the change.
Are we there yet?  Are we in that kind of crisis? I don't think we should have to wait for another Sputnik
Tim Stahmer pointed out that in the 1800's the push was as a result of industrial revolution NOW we don't have a focus, it is spreading out it many directions.  It was pointed out however that there is no market in our country for unskilled labor. There is a labor shift but as Tim pointed out it is not as focused as it was during industrial revolution. 

Partnership for 21st c skills is doing that but how many of schools are having these converstations.  Better question still how many are going beyond just talking about it and how do you get them to go there.

Scott Floyd asked whether dcharter schools is going to be the answer

Jon believed that there is an argument that there is a crisis and Scott pointed out that if you look at technology and the globalization that is happening as a result--maybe you could say that...after all, the internet is only a decade old and it is already destroying entire industries: newspaper tv just it may just take a little longer

One of the biggest hot topics that has been nagging at me was brought up by Doug Johnson and that is assessment, you can't have innovation in instruction without innovation of assessment (to which David Jakes pointed out that the curriculum then needed to change too)-  Until we see a model that described an educated person in a variety of ways we are going to continue to have problems

Scott argued that the reason the conversations aren't happening are because the leaders don't get it one of my goals for becoming an instructinal leader...but as Doug pointed out we have never been about changing the status quo...to think that schools are an agent for change it fine in our little group, but that in the real world of schools that isn't the case.  Parents are happy with the status quo and Karen Janowski repsonded that parents see school in a certain way we are all the early adopters but we need to influence our parents

Josh Paluch until we start to question the assessment we can't change: pedagogy, curriculum, instruction because administrators are still focused on AYP

David Warlick GREAT analogy of face puzzle there always seems to be something in the way of creating the whole puzzle  Can't come from CHANGING things but doing something brand new.  How can we move into new places not new WAYS new THINGS?

This is what I will spend this conference thinking about.

Adina Sullivan who I got to know last year at NECC reminded us that folks need to see success because they aren't willing to take the leap and take the risk until they see some sense of success.

One example of this was in Oregon where in their college of engineering they started partnering with STEM program to train teachers with tech, robotics partnerships with university can be very powerful because it is seen as OUR problem

Doug standardized tests are not about measuring student achievement they are about discrediting public education so there is more political capital for vouchers and private school: rich in rich schools and poor in poor schools.
BOOK TO CHECK OUT...How Lincoln Learned to Read
Talks about all the things that learned that didn't happen to school
Teaching as a Subversive activity
What other profession stands by and lets what they know isn't working continue to happen...WE have a responsibility. 

I have to say the comment that struck me the most was made by a special Education teacher, Deven Black from New York who said
"The difference between school learning and outside learning- in school you get a grade for it.  In school, we tell them what to learn, and how to learn it...and then fail them when they don't learn it the first time...
Outside they get a second chance..."

Wow..pretty powerful and exactly what I see with my own son's learning.  He will fail over and over on a video game until he is successful


In what other profession do we neglect our clients?  It all comes down to what the goal of education is...perhaps we need to come up with a better goal...

A little later on I attended a session where I didn't take many notes but there was a representative from the National School Boards Association who asked us tgh think about what we need in schools
what kind of policies do we have we don't have
what do we as a group do to push it forward
Penalty has to be more than
Jgates I want board that is knowledgeable, well read and URGENT
cippa coppsa understood

Making business with the public more transparent
Immerse them slowly into hot water and give them PD
Educational networking & social learning
http://nsba.org/tln
I am sure I have much more to learn and think about but I know that I want to be a part of the solution

Technorati Tags: necc09, ebc09, unconference

Let's Get it Started...Edublogger Con 2009

So NECC for me is the one time each year that I get to connect with the folks with whom I "work" all year long. My favorite part of NECC is getting to connect --REALLY connect with these folks. I started the day u-streaming and coveringlive Vicki Davis's Web2.0 Tools Smackdown. There is SO much great conversation happening.
Here is a feed of the #EBC09 hashtag that I'm following on twitter: Should be a lot to reflect upon

Technorati Tags: ebc09 necc09

Remembering the VCR...Impact of On Demand Social Media

Yesterday I was running a workshop on Google Tools. When I returned from lunch at 12:45 I began to see tweets that Farrah Fawcett had died. She had struggled with cancer for some time, so folks new it was coming but the fact that I was sitting in a workshop and the information came to me. I announced it in my class-and the fact I had learned about it on twitter didn't seem to phase anyone...wow...Farrah Fawcett...I remember being the same age as my son heading into fourth grade and getting to stay up to watch the Angels on summer nights, WAITING for the episode to airt, hen trying reinact the scenes in my basement... Since I was teaching google tools I thought this was a great time to introduce google news to my participants. Instantaneously we were viewing thousands of news articles, video clips and pictures. Within the hour Wikipedia had been locked for editing by new users and by 5 pm even Encyclopedia Brittanica online had been updated with her life span. I was fascinated but not surprised at how quickly the news traveled. Pretty much everyone (except my husband who had been on a plane all day) knew the news before the nightly news broadcast.

As I getting ready to head home I saw this in my tweetdeck...are you KIDDING ME...Michael Jackson. I got in my car and as I listened to KYW news radio. I was intrigued that they were citing TMZ and that social media sources were getting (and reporting information about Michael's condition much faster than mainstream media sources). Wow...Michael Jackson...I remember being a sophmore in high school BEGGING my mom and dad to FINALLY get cable so we could watch the Thriller premiere. We had a VCR by now...I think I actually still have my original tape.

Then I find myself back in my basement thinking about how media and news is delivered is going to be so different for my three children.
This morning, still reflecting on yesterday's events, I was doing laundry and trying to get ready for NECC. Not easy to do when your toddler gets up at the crack of dawn so I did what all good 21st C parents do, I parked my 2 year old in front of an Elmo video. In our basement, we have have only a cable line (no fancy box for on demand) and a VCR (no DVD) on this TV (kind of like my life in the Michael Jackson era). After the Elmo's World episode we were watching was over, Emma chimed in with "watch it again mommy"...hmmm would I be able to hold my child's attending for the "rewind" process...? "watch it again mommy", watch it AGAIN mommy", watch it AGAIN MOMMY", "WATCH IT AGAIN MOMMY"- Apparently the VCR is not for her...

Social Media...On Demand...Connecting with others to process information. This post by librarybeth that Chris Lehmann retweeted makes me wonder what the impact will be one the world of media, news and broadcasting, and finding, evaluating information?

Of course the big thing *I* can't help thinking is "can't we come up with process to speed up my laundry."

Tech Skills every Student needs: Doug Johnson

Punishing or Preventing Plagiarism Doug Johnson

Managing the Transition

2 part workshop for Educational leaders