I just got done listening to Shawn Nutting from Alabama talk about the way his school district has changed their thinking about the role of technology in the school. I think that what he is saying is CENTRAL to seeing any large change in the ways that schools use technology. Some of his suggestions were very helpful. (I found that the video took way too long to download, but the audio worked great).
However, the best presentation that I listened to (and watched) was Patrick Ledesma talking about the ROLE of the technology leaders in the school. I would definitely recommend it if you are a technology leader in your school. Although the video is very simple what is said is well thought out and helpful. I would not want to have a different video for this presentation.
All of the presentations in the K12 Online Conference will remain uploaded and even the transcripts of the live events are available. I tried to listen to one thing each day, but was not successful. Three of the days I just had too many other things I needed to do. There is so much there. The first week my favorite was Flat Agents of Change. It got me working on Podcasting and joining a Ning community that is supportive.
What I would really like to hear is a teacher who was NOT a techie who tried something and found that it made a positive change to learning in the classroom. Most of the people I listen to are techies to the bone. They enjoy being called a geek and have ALWAYS liked technology. They get excited about gadgets and try everything first. I think we NEED to have that kind of person, but they are not as persuasive about the curriculum as the other type. I will have to think more about this.
My husband, the University Professor, and I just had one of our interesting conversations on multitasking that I think is extremely important for educators today to think about. He says that students today can do 3 trivial things at one time well and 6 trivial things at one time adequately, but they can't do ONE thing well at all. He says that they can't listen and follow one deeper thread of thought. They can't figure out what the main idea of something they have read is. They can't write coherently (this is definitely a generalization, but still an important trend).
The discussion occurred because I was telling him about a discussion on the W.O.W. podcast about back channeling. Back channeling is using a chat room during a class as a way for the participants (students) in the class to give constant feedback and reflection on what they are hearing. They gave some good examples of how it has worked for them. We agree that there are huge changes in how people process information from our parent's generation to our children's generations. We are less clear on whether multi-tasking is a good thing and how the ability to focus on ONE thing may still be important and is being forgotten. I wonder what others think and have observed?
I always blame their lack of deep thinking on emphasis on memorization of facts and low level coverage of tons of things that testing today is forcing on teachers. What about all of the other influences in their lives pushing them to short attention spans?
I have taken one more step into Web 2.0 by trying out podcasting. You can listen to some of my struggles at http://malahinitx.podcastpeople.com.I have always been the kind of person that is not afraid to make mistakes and is willing to try things, but lately with Web 2.0 I find that I am always feeling pretty behind and sort of overwhelmed. A new web 2.0 tool comes out about every 3 minutes (that is an exaggeration and not scientific, by the way).
What held me back with podcasting and continues to hold me back is my past experience with the difficulties of using audio and the questions I have about it being academically powerful. Having tried it I can now see that the aspect of voice IS powerful. If you listen to my podcasts and follow the audio responses from Kevin and Bob you can see what I mean.
Also, my school uses writer's workshop and I think that having authors share their work in this way will be awesome. It is just getting past my own walls.Kevin suggested a better mike, but then Bob recorded using just his Mac computer and communicated extremely well. I guess I will keep trying and maybe when I get it I can make the path smoother for some other teacher who wants to do it.
It is the end of the first grading period at school and so I am starting to feel like I have a sense of this job and what I am doing. One thing that I have been doing this week is spending a bit of time each day at the K12 Online Conference. I have learned a lot, but it is still a bit confusing to me. I listened to a podcast this morning that was talking about discussions going on about the sessions and I need to try to find out where that is all happening.
One session done by Cheryl Oakes, Bob Sprankle and Alice Barr has gotten me to try out podcasting.
On Wednesday I set up a wiki for the staff to use. I have sections for each grade and for the specialists and a section for me to post my inservice handouts. I am amazed that already everyone I invited has signed on as a member and when I looked at it this morning there was already an announcement on the Music page about an upcoming event, instructions on how to use this on second grade page, and silly stuff on other pages. It might even work! The principal liked the idea and said they would be using it in the office.
I started out by showing them this You Tube video which you may have seen.
Well, I did go to Hallmark right after school and purchased my webkinz. I chose this cute little elephant. Then last night I went to the Webkinz site and named him Alberto G, not to be confused with the other Alberto G. Mine recalls everything.
I tried out several things on the website and even went to one of the many chat rooms to check it out. While I was there 10 or so Webkinz came in and out. You can walk with your webkin around the room and talk to others, but there is a script to choose from. Very cool and safe.
I did discover the dark, commercial side of this though. My webkin cost $11. That is not terrible, but of course is more than a beanie baby. When I signed in I found out that I had purchased one year of participation in this online environment and that if I want to stay longer than a year I will be offered the opportunity to pay for more time. So far all of the games I have tried involve just chance (a slot machine type thing, a wheel of fortune), but there is so much more to explore.
Then this morning I found my next purchase in an article by David Pogue in the New York Times. He revealed (at least it was new to me) that the fabled $100 laptop will be available for two weeks in November to anyone for $400. You can go to http://www.xogiving.org and order one. You will receive one by Christmas and you will fund one for a child in the developing world also. This article is VERY interesting and worth reading.
I am thinking that now I want to find out where the first third world country is and begin planning now to make contact with them. Did you know that the $100 laptop has a built in camera? Amazing.
Wow! I am sitting in the computer lab and the teacher did a really interesting project. He typed a prompt "If you could talk to animals what would you like to find out?" The kids then opened up word and typed an answer in a few sentences. "I would talk to a cat. I would find out why they don't talk." (except with invented spelling). When they were done he gave them free time and you know what?!! Some of them went online to http://www.webkinz.com/index.html. Maybe I am SOOOO yesterday, but I had never heard of them. So I sat down by one of the kids and learned a ton.
They are stuffed animals you can get at Hallmark. They are popular like beanie babies, but they come with a unique number on their tag that you can use to sign into the website. On the website you will see your pet. The little girl I was watching has three dogs. She showed me how she can give them a bath, how she can play games and get webkins bucks, how she can send a message and some stickers to a friend, and so many things.
While doing that she was reading and doing math (keeping track of her webkinz bucks) and all sorts of other creative things. I was amazed. I am going to Hallmark on my way home from school today!
However, the best presentation that I listened to (and watched) was Patrick Ledesma talking about the ROLE of the technology leaders in the school. I would definitely recommend it if you are a technology leader in your school. Although the video is very simple what is said is well thought out and helpful. I would not want to have a different video for this presentation.
