Ideas and Thoughts from an EdTech

Stealing a title for a certain comedian’s performance, I wish this would be the last time but I know it won’t.

If you asked anyone who’s ever presented at a conference about web 2.0, Read/Write Web or whatever you want to call it, they will tell that the most common type of question or comment from teachers goes something like this:

“Yah, but what about posting kids pictures online? Aren’t you concerned about their safety?”

This question can often bring an important conversation about learning to a grinding halt. As tired as I am of addressing this issue, I realize it will continue to be an issue until we hammer the research and facts at people at a relentless pace. Well that’s one way to handle it anyway. I also realize I work in a school district that has a very enlightened view of this thanks to the work of many teachers who have been doing cool and important things with kids for a while now, but I’m still frustrated with the lack of knowledge folks have about this issue and the influence of traditional media that fosters the endless and needless hysteria. This is a ridiculous barrier to great learning and opportunity.

Today, Miguel found another piece of research that debunks the myth of online predators once again.

Read it. Now.

Here are a couple of key selections from this research:

• 99% of victims of Internet-initiated sex crimes were 13 to 17 years old…none were younger than 12 *why include this point?
• Posting personal information online does not, by itself, appear to be a particularly risky behavior.
• Social networking sites such as MySpace do not appear to have increased the risk of victimization by online molesters.
• Patterns of risky online behavior make youths vulnerable. (risky behaviour defined as making contact with strangers and engaging in sexual talk)
• There is no empirical evidence that posting personal information, by itself and independent of engagement in a pattern of online risky behavior, puts youths at risk for sexual victimization. Further, millions of youths use social networking sites safely, and we have not found evidence that these sites are more risky than other online venues popular with youths. Rather than focusing on types of online sites or noninteractive pursuits such as posting information, prevention messages should focus on online interactions because Internet-initiated sex crimes come about through direct communications between offenders and victims. This includes educating youths about the specific kinds of Internet interactions that are most associated with victimization, such as talking online about sex to unknown people. At the same time, judicious online contact with unknown people is not harmful or dangerous (Wolak, Mitchell, & Finkelhor, 2002; Wolak et al., in press).

I”m still waiting for some evidence to refute this position. So I’m telling you for the last time, until Tuesday when I present again.

Photo: i’m telling you for the last time by sabandija in da house
http://flickr.com/photos/lworcel/504844880/

Technorati Tags: digitalcitizenship, internetsafety, seinfeld, research,

Besides trying to see how long a permalink I can make, I used a phrase offered to me by John Pederson a short time before I met David Jakes in person. John told me that David loves people to announce his presence in public places which I’ve done a few times much to his dismay. David and I have since become quite good friends who natter at each other and in general try to harass and throw each other under as many buses as we can. I think I’m up about 3 buses and a video.

I asked David back in November to join the Posse for a podcast. He agreed, received his honorary mug and the recording found its home on Rob Wall’s hard drive lo these many days. Apparently Rob has a life outside his computer and wasn’t able to edit and upload….until today. Not that this podcast is all about David but it’s just fun to lead him towards another bus.

So without further ado……just listen.

 

 EdTech Posse 3.3: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Dean:

• Flip Video Camera (leads me to think about the changing nature of hardware. With the advent of youtube, small digital cameras and devices are taking over from larger more traditional video cameras….good or bad?)
• Selfish teachers Reminds me of something Rick said about a year ago in one of our podcasts about taking a class (can’t remember what it was…something obscure) that had no relevance to his classes at the time but he really enjoyed the experience

Dave:

• 15 minutes: I’m tired and bored with the time excuse, why not devote 15 minutes every day to personal professional development? What would that look like? What activities would you participate in? Would it be beneficial? See Carolyn Foote’s post about the idea.
  • Konrad Glogowski
  • Clarence Fisher
  • Darren Kuropatwa
• Relentless Schools: a phrase that absolutely caught my attention when reading the U.S. News and World Report article on America’s Best High Schools. What are the characteristics of a “relentless” school?

Heather:

• SIAST has just bought into using Turnitin. I heard Alec speaking about this once and this topic deserves some more discussion time. (Heather: we’ve used Turnitin in my school district for 5 years, so I have a good deal of experience with it. Dave)
• As for my wish list, I’m with David Warlick in that I’d like a tech free holiday.
• I mentioned LibriVox for free audio books (classics that are out of copyright protection) and ThinkingRock (free, cross-platform, open source, GTD software).

Rob:

• I might have picked the Flip Camera as well. Another thing on my mind is a Nintendo Wii, but I’m not sure that qualifies as a gadget. I think I’ll go with an iPod Touch (or an iPhone, if ever available in Canada and the data plan rates are realistic). Aside from the obvious uber-geeky joy, I think that the Apple has set a standard for a portable online interface. This is how the upcoming learners will want to get their info and how they be connecting.
• Ed Reform? Hmmm - I’m not sure if this is a large scale reform, but I think it is a local one. My school is offering online courses next semester and I’m hoping that it goes well for students and we (teaching team) learn a lot from the experience. Also hoping for a successful first run-through for ECI 831 with Alec. It will be very open, connected and social.
• Discussion topic - based on a chat Dean and I were just having. Is OLPC missing the boat. Will laptops be the next generation digital learning platform, or is it condemned to become old school as cell phones, iPhone-like devices, digital cameras etc. gain more computer-like functionality with (arguably) a better user interface?

Rick:

• Pay it forward gifts. We’re starting a new tradition in my family this year by giving our kids sheep, pigs and goats for families somewhere else on the planet through PLAN International (http://www.plan-international.org/ ). There are also books, teaching kits, etc. available for this kind of gifting, and we may move to those in the future (the educational reform part), but we thought we’d start with four-legged technology first. Our kids will do the same, and the idea is to find a miniature/toy animal figurine of whatever you’re giving and send it to the person you’re sending it for. Over time, our family will see how big our herds have grown. When it comes to educational reform, it could be that it has to start in the belly. (our family, Dean that is, is doing this as well…a few grumbles were heard but pretty well received)
• Water Buffalo Movie
• And despite my growing irritation with consumption and consumerism, I would love to get/give an iTouch, just like Alec’s!

Alec:

• Gadgets: I have ordered an XO, want the April 2008 version of the Asus Eee and would like one of the LiveScribe Pens (although not sure it will work with my Mac). I am really interesting in seeing the potential for adoption of tools like this (or even the iTouch) where the goal is 1:1. Would love to get a chance to sponsor, collaborate or research this learning environment.
• XO article by John Dvorak why he doesn’t like the project>
• I’m hoping the proposed Canadian DMCA act does not go through, it’s touted as being even worse than the American DMCA. I’d love to see our laws go toward more openness and copyleft than to supporting corporate greed. When talking about kids and creativity,
• Lessig hit the nail on the head when he said: “We can’t kill the instinct that technology produces, you can only criminalize it. We can’t stop kids from using it, we can only drive it underground. We can’t make our kids passive again, we can only make them “pirates”. And is that good? We live in this weird time, an age of prohibitions, where in many areas of our life, we live life constantly against the law. Ordinary people live life against the law. And that’s what we are doing to our kids. They live life knowing they live it against the law. That realization is extraordinarily corrosive, extraordinarily corrupting, and in a democracy, we ought to be able to do better, do better at least for them.”

Discussion - TurnItIn

http://myskitch.com/courosa/dock-20071211-193640/ (from Alec)

Book Recommends
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MicroTrends
The Dip
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Dark Age Ahead

[tags]edtechposse,robwall,davidjakes,richardschwier,aleccouros,heatherross[/tags]

Today I made 2 presentations entitled “Are you Published?” for Showcase 2008.  You can get all the details including the slidedeck and the video (posted below, so if you’re planning to attend this session on Tuesday, this may or may do it for you). In most cases, I rarely walk alone, whether it’s a pre-call out for ideas or links, or live appearances, I have a plethora of resources that I can tap into anytime. Today was no different.

I invited Will to return the favour (btw Will, you still owe me a few more appearances) and share some ideas (about the 14 minute mark) about publishing which sparked some great discussion and questions. So he gets in from sledding with his kids and chats with us for about 10 minutes. I carry on. Then David Warlick watches via Ustream and at just the right moment (35 minute mark), skypes in to share his thoughts on Lulu.com ( I had asked David earlier so it wasn’t a purely random interruption). So I went to the back of the room, grabbed a water and allowed David and Will to do their thing.  It’s been said often, that the minute you open up your laptop, you’re no longer the smartest person in the room. I never was anyway. But this is what learning ought to look like; finding and connecting to others that help you learn more. Easy, free and personal. Low hanging fruit.

I realize this is not profound or new, but I just wanted to share.

Technorati Tags: showcase2008, davidwarlick, willrichardson, skype, lulu

Kim Cavanaugh passed this my way.

Here are the rules:

* Post a picture from a source like FlickrCC or Flickr Creative
Commons or make/take your own that captures what YOU are most
passionate about for kids to learn about…and give your picture a short
title.
* Title your blog post “Meme: Passion Quilt” and link back to this blog entry.
* Include links to 5 folks in your professional learning network or whom you follow on Twitter/Pownce.

Okay, Here’s my list. (If you’re not familiar with these folks, check them out and add them to your reader)

• Cindy Seibel
• Tammy Sillers
• Susan Carter Morgan
• Kyle Lichtenwald
• Gary Stager (Come Gary…be a sport and play)
• Connie Cossar

A dear friend of our family is in the battle of his life. Dr. George Falk is about to undergo some major cancer surgery next week. If you don’t know George, you must know that his passion and energy is contagious. Think of your most inspirational teacher and that’s George. He has inspired many and played a major role in helping our eldest daughter pursue a career in music.

Currently he’s at the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon awaiting surgery next week. My daughter Meredith composed and performed this song as a tribute to George. The story she tells is one that we’ve shared many times about her wanting to quit choir and he ended up not only convincing her to stay on, but also join another choir. That’s George. So Here’s to You.

 

 Here's To You: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If you still see flickr as simple a photo sharing site, you’d be sadly mistaken.  The ways in which its users have crafted endless ways to leverage their photos continues to increase. The following is simply a few insights into my learning via flickr.

Thanks to D’arcy Norman’s inspiring work of 2007, a number of us decided to take on the challenge of shooting a photo a day. 48 days into it and I’ve certainly become more visually aware and I believe more literate.  Part of the power of joining a group in flickr is to be able to see how many are trying to achieve the same thing but in a myriad of ways. Amazing learning takes place.

Subscribing to the 366photo feed allows me to see everyone’s efforts. Today I was struck by a seemingly innocent photo of a child’s rocking chair taken by Alan Levine.

Flashback to the day before. Alan writes about his “pathetic” photo,

A photo of a corner of my roof makes my 366photos of the day? Could this be the most pathetic day of the year (that i always possible). No, this marks a spot where something was but is no more. Today, I sold the Hughes Satellite Internet Dish that sat here for 2 years. Since moving to Strawberry, I got more reliable (used loosely in a small town) cable internet service. I posted a few paper flowers down at the market and Post Office in Pine, but shazam, it was Craigslist that connected me with a family near Snowflake AZ (look it up actually named for town cofounders with last names of “Snow” and “Flake” and thus could have just as easily been called “Flakesnow”) that needed a dish to get to the net. So in a contemplative mood I am wondering- we typically focus on a photograph as a means to “grab” or portray something that is there– but is there room or a place to consider perhaps “negative space” photography, the portrayal of a place where something is not there? On a less philosophical note- proceeds of this sale have underwritten the costs of my new western footwear…

Every picture has a story. If you aren’t already aware, you need to understand that Alan is a master at this type of storytelling. Witness his efforts to tell the same story about his dog Dominoe using 49 different online storytelling tools. So now we move to today’s post of the chair. I won’t attempt to share the contents of the story, you need to read it for yourself,but I hope we begin to see how powerful and important it is to think about how we see the world. All of us have hundreds of these images stored in our memory filled with beautiful, sad, scary, disturbing, inspiring stories that are waiting to be shared. Yes shared.  Okay, keep some of them private but I as I commented to Alan:

What a privilege to be in a community where people feel vulnerable enough to share such depth. To think a seemingly innocent photo a a rocking chair could illicit such emotion and meaning….if your last photo was your most pathetic (I doubt if it is) this might be your most powerful.

Images: David’s Rocking Chair by Alan Levine
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/2274055016

Technorati Tags: darcynorman, alanlevine, flickr

Subscribing to other’s bookmarks is truly at the core of my research team belief. Alec found this gem (Alec, let’s trace this back, how did you find it?) called riffly. Okay I don’t know if it’s a gem yet but sounds like a good idea. A commenting tool that allows you to add video to comments. I recall some commenting tools that allowed for audio responses but hadn’t seen video.  I’ve played briefly with seesmic and many seem to think that video adds another dimension to community building. I agree. Besides don’t you think that in the future, video and audio responses and interaction will replace text? Certainly text has some advantages in this context as it allows you to take your time in crafting responses.  But for “quick in and quick out” responses, this might work. Anyway, hook up your webcam and give it go or leave a text comment proclaiming your disdain for all this new media stuff.

Technorati Tags: riffly, aleccouros, seesmic, clayburell

Every once in a while I revisit older posts I’ve written to see if they still resonate or if I’ve changed my thinking.  I thought of this one today on busyness written almost 18 months ago:

Our culture is obsessed with being busy. When’s the last time you asked someone about their job or life and they didn’t use the word busy? It’s worn like a badge of honor. To even hint you might not be busy, conjures up visions of laziness and lack of ambition. As we plan various activities and events for schools, I’ll often hear, “that’s a busy time for schools”. Tell me when it’s not a busy time? That fact that everyone is busy should be a given by now. It’s almost akin to breathing. Should I preface every statement about my current state of existence by stating that, “I’ve been really breathing lately….consuming a lot of oxygen.” I’m trying to stop acting like I’m so busy and telling everyone how busy I am. No one really cares and it’s nothing worth talking about. Telling folks about how busy you are creates too many negative images. Talking about busyness does not usually leave the impression you love your job. I do love my job so maybe I don’t think of myself as busy. My job is to support teachers. When a teacher asks for my support, I figure out how to help. I don’t need to remind them how busy I am because they’re just as busy. I want to give people the impression that I have lots of time for them. They need to feel relaxed and I’d like to alleviate some of the stress they might be feeling in their daily grind. Life and work shouldn’t be taken so seriously. Relax. I’ve worked with some great people that I know were extremely busy but always had time to chat with me about work, life and I dare say it, even fun, non-work related stuff. I think this is the type of classroom we ought to be creating. One where teachers have lots of time to work with students and there is less a sense of panic and mayhem and more one of calm and reflection. Is this possible? I don’t know but I’m going to try and avoid the word busy to describe my work and life.

I still believe this.  There’s no question I have a way more flexible schedule that a classroom teacher. Part of what many see as the bane of student learning, is the pace at which we feel classrooms ought to move; high energy, constantly switching gears and never lingering too long on any activity. While there are benefits to this style, it also tends to create busyness. Busyness, in this model makes reflection difficult. The sense of frenzy that so many of our classrooms exude, certainly makes it hard to foster conversations in a relaxed, unhurried environment. Certainly curriculum demands and scheduling are the enemy to this.  I’m wondering, are there teachers who at some level have figured this out or is this a lost cause or pipe dream? Is there a teacher out there who works hard to mask their busyness?