While many have lamented the death of blogging, I’m not one of them. In fact, I still am not convinced of a better way to personalize your web experience. As an educator, I view them as learning spaces where metacognition is king. That’s not the thrust of this post but I wanted to make that [...]]]> While many have lamented the death of blogging, I’m not one of them. In fact, I still am not convinced of a better way to personalize your web experience. As an educator, I view them as learning spaces where metacognition is king. That’s not the thrust of this post but I wanted to make that clear.

My pre-service teachers are required to blog. I take great pleasure as they take ownership of those spaces and begin to share their passions, question things and connect ideas with others. One of my students has recently purchased his own domain name and hosting space. I don’t expect everyone to do that but applaud his efforts.  The other day he posted a pretty compelling argument that questioned the practice at the school his brother attends. He did not identify the school. I’m sure a little investigation could have revealed the school but this was not the point of the post. His post was meant to illuminate a larger discussion of equity and student recognition. He got several comments and generated some good discussion.

A few days later the principal of the school called him upset with the posting but stated the staff was discussing changing the policy. The principal was upset that Kyle did not come to him privately to discuss the matter. I discussed it with Kyle and we agreed that by posting it online it likely garnered enough attention to warrant a staff discussion. A private conversation may not have.

So the question remains, should he have posted it? Did he break any ethical code? My instinct is to say no to both but I want to throw it out there. I don’t want us to hide behind our blog or use it as a place to rant but a place to converse.

These are the types of conversations and issues that should be discussed. I don’t want my students to shy away from controversy but tackle it. A blog is a great place to get feedback and insights that you may never get in your local context. I’d love all my students to post something that caused schools to consider to change.

Imagine it’s 1991. A principal of a large school has students that are doing some really nice writing and art. Imagine of a large publishing company comes to the school and wants to try something different. They offer the principal a chance for every student in the building the opportunity to publish any or all [...]]]> Imagine it’s 1991. A principal of a large school has students that are doing some really nice writing and art. Imagine of a large publishing company comes to the school and wants to try something different. They offer the principal a chance for every student in the building the opportunity to publish any or all works of their choice. They’ll publish these books of writing and/or art and distribute them to libraries and book stores all over the world. And they’ll do it all for free.

The principal listens to their offer and says, “No thanks.”

Now imagine you’re a parent of children from this school and find out about the offer and the principal’s decline of that offer. Would you be satisfied with that or would you be marching into her office and find out if she’s gone completely insane?

Are we insane for not accepting that same deal that every school on the planet has been offered in 2010? I’ve heard a few arguments about publishing today but seriously, if a your child, in 1991 was offered a chance to have their work published, would you not jump at that chance? I get that perhaps not all work is worthy of publishing but I can’t imagine many students, principals or parents who would have passed up the offer back then.

cc licensed flickr photo shared by apstone

Part of me wonders if I should post this or not as most people tend to save their blogs for less personal, more professional stuff. Oh well, I’ve never been one to stick to the rules that closely.

After 7 years, we have to put our dog Rudy down today. It was a difficult decision, one [...]]]> Part of me wonders if I should post this or not as most people tend to save their blogs for less personal, more professional stuff. Oh well, I’ve never been one to stick to the rules that closely.

After 7 years, we have to put our dog Rudy down today. It was a difficult decision, one we’ve been delaying for quite a while but we realize it is the one we need to make. Having never really had a pet before, I was unaware of the attachment and affection you feel for these creatures. Rudy, a Jack Russell, was the runt of the litter.  We named him Rudy after the movie by the same name and discovered the meaning of his name is tenacious.  So appropriate. Like most terriers, so I’m told, he was very territorial, very full of energy. For the most part he was quite content to snuggle with one of us on the couch and until recently in a bed at night.  Rudy always brought smiles from people when we took him for a walk and like most dogs was thrilled to have his owners come home.

My greatest memory of Rudy comes in having him be my personal golf ball retriever.

No doubt my short game will suffer as a result of his absence.

I post this here for a few reasons. First I remember a few years ago Miguel Guhlin sharing the loss of his father on his blog (sorry Miguel, I couldn’t track down the post, if you’d like to share, please put it in the comments and I’ll update this). This is in no way compares to that but I did remember how grateful I was that Miguel shared a piece of his soul as I had been reading his stuff for a while.  That’s part of what makes blogging different for me. I read people, not just their ideas.

I’ve had the privilege of having Alan Levine present to my students and teachers on a number of occasions on his wonderful work of 50 Ways to Tell a Story. I have heard many times the story of  Dominoe and in the back of my mind wondered what it would be like to tell the story of a dog that used to be. Now I know.

Finally, I write this because many know that I often speak about my dogs in a love-hate way. I’ve shared photos of them, told stories about them and they’ll even had a place in both my classes and in the Edtech Posse podcasts. We live in this strange world where we share not only the great ideas we have, but our lives. I guess that’s part of community. Thank you for all the kinds words. I feel very blessed to be associated with people who I know are offering their heartfelt thoughts.

Rudy, you’ll be missed.

When I get an idea or concept in my head, I seem to see it show up in all sorts of interesting places. This story takes a few turns so be patient.

The whole idea of community and creating community in our classrooms has been a very important theme in both my current class as well [...]]]> When I get an idea or concept in my head, I seem to see it show up in all sorts of interesting places. This story takes a few turns so be patient.

The whole idea of community and creating community in our classrooms has been a very important theme in both my current class as well as the work I do in Prairie South.  In reading Here Comes Everybody, Clay Shirky references the book Bowling Alone a few times so I figured I should buy it. Essentially the book deals with the decline of community in America and examines things like civic involvement, religious affiliation, and formal and informal groups. In essence, since the mid sixties, the social capital of Americans (I see Canada as having similar experiences) has declined quite dramatically. For many reasons, we are choosing to spend less time in community and more time as individuals, thus the title Bowling Alone.

I read the first part of the book as I flew to Portland for ITSC. I had the opportunity to spend time with Tim Lauer and his family. They live in a very nice neighborhood and Portland in general has some wonderful neighborhoods. As I spoke about our current endeavor to build a new house I discussed our challenge to avoid building a “garagehouse”. In many of our neighbourhoods lots are only 50 feet and thus people wanting a two car garage end up building homes that look like this.

In contrast, Portland would not allow this type of home because it’s not “neighbour friendly”. I believe there is also a bylaw in place to prevent that from happening. Instead this is the type of community they envision:

Front Porch Party by fensterbme

Cross posted on the TechLearning Blog

Podcasting from the bathroom

A conversation with all 5 members, we haven’t done that for a while.  Rob, Heather, Rick, Alec and I talked about PLP, 1 to 1 computing, and PD.

Some other links:

I’ve been fortunate enough the last two years to work as a Powerful Learning Practices Community Leader.

I’ve played the role of utility man or 6th man depending on your sport of choice. It’s been enjoyable and has been a great personal learning experience both from a community building standpoint as well as simply connecting with [...]]]> I’ve been fortunate enough the last two years to work as a Powerful Learning Practices Community Leader.

I’ve played the role of utility man or 6th man depending on your sport of choice. It’s been enjoyable and has been a great personal learning experience both from a community building standpoint as well as simply connecting with passionate educators.

Sheryl and Will are now in the process of gathering new cohorts for the next school year. This is a great opportunity for schools and districts to move their practice forward.

PLP is not about technology and it is not about tools. While both of these things play a central role in the school and the curricula of 21st century focused learning, PLP is about pedagogy and teaching and learning. There are opportunities for both schools and school leaders to take part.

Specifically, I would like to see a cohort here in Saskatchewan. I’m fully aware of the power of this experience and would love to see some of our divisions and schools take advantage of this not only for personal professional development but to build connections on a provincial basis. If you at all interested in that, contact me and I’d be happy to discuss my plan to make that happen.

Either way, no matter where you are, consider this a great opportunity to participate in a great PD experience that has tremendous local impact.

Last month I posted my first effort of picture of the day set to music. I had some wonderful suggestions on how to improve it and so I implemented the most common suggestion of fading in and out each track.

I switched to Final Cut Express since I have more control and can use multiple tracks. [...]]]> Last month I posted my first effort of picture of the day set to music. I had some wonderful suggestions on how to improve it and so I implemented the most common suggestion of fading in and out each track.

I switched to Final Cut Express since I have more control and can use multiple tracks. I have to admit I still feel like a novice in that program even though I’ve used it for a number of projects. Keyframing in particular is something I don’t have quite right yet and need to learn a few more shortcuts to improve my work flow.

I also found it much better to use Audacity to edit each music clip and bring them into FCE after that. I would say overall this is a much better product but maybe you disagree. I’ll be happy to take further suggestions on improvement. It took more time I think so I’m weighing that as well. This isn’t even a full month as it includes the last day of January and photos up to February 20th.

I’ve probably used the term social learning more than just about anyone I know in the past 3 years. Many believe that all learning is social. While I don’t if I completely buy that theory, I do believe that our schools in general have downplayed the value of learning with one another both [...]]]> I’ve probably used the term social learning more than just about anyone I know in the past 3 years. Many believe that all learning is social. While I don’t if I completely buy that theory, I do believe that our schools in general have downplayed the value of learning with one another both in physical classrooms and in “third places“.

As schools begin to recognize the potential of social media or networking as potential learning spaces it might be important to distinguish and identify things a bit more succinctly. I know David Jakes has stated he does not like the term social networking as it suggests social, but doesn’t speak specifically to learning. I agree. The term gets tossed around and means something quite different depending on individual interpretation.

I’ve build a mockup of a diagram I’d like to use to illustrate the merging and blending of social networking and individual interaction with content. This can be either online or offline but primarily I’m thinking about online spaces. Here’s my first draft.

It needs some work both from a design standpoint as well as the message and content.  The social networking aspect is pretty clear. We all have spaces where we are focused primarily on the social. Students in particular use facebook as a primary space to socialize. It’s not seen, nor should it necessarily be seen as a learning or academic space. That’s fine. On the other hand those that see the web or school library or classroom as containers of knowledge and information often aren’t interesting in the social component and interaction that supports learning. The area in blue represents learning and content that is consumed in isolation, reading a book, watching a video, writing a journal or article by yourself. I don’t think the term “academic content” really gets at what I’m trying to say. I’m trying to show that there is a sweet spot in between that can exist and should be fostered in schools. Any suggestions for improving this diagram would be welcomed.

This image also supports the concept but I wanted something a bit more explicit but this is the concept.

cc licensed flickr photo shared by dkuropatwa

I've been taking a photo a day for 763 days. Last year I added a slight challenge but only used one word titles. Mostly for my own amusement but it did serve to keep me more interested. This year I'm trying to attach a song to every photo. It's going to be way tougher and [...]]]> I've been taking a photo a day for 763 days. Last year I added a slight challenge but only used one word titles. Mostly for my own amusement but it did serve to keep me more interested. This year I'm trying to attach a song to every photo. It's going to be way tougher and I can't say for sure if I'll be able to sustain it but I'll see. At the end of both years I've put together a video with all the images and used my daughter's music as a soundtrack. They've been a lovely keepsake for me and my family. So this year I thought I would cut the appropriate song snippet for each of my photos and put them together in a mash up.

I thought I'd try doing the month of January as a test. I'll be honest, I don't think it works. It seems sloppy, lacking any elegance.
Watch.

So while I plan to continue finding a song for each image I post, I'm not sure this will be the way to package it. I like the concept but not sure I can pull it off. I considered titling each image but thought that would simply add to the cognitive load. Maybe there is a way but I'm not seeing it. I could use your help. Can this be improved? Be honest. I can take it.

I'm at Educon. If you're not familiar with Educon, it's a conference/conversation hosted by Chris Lehmann and the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, PA.

I was fortunate to be able to spend Thursday and Friday hanging around the school. Here's what I saw:

We’re back with our first podcast of 2010 EdTech Posse Podcast 6.1 – No tech after 5 p.m.

Mike [...]]]>

We’re back with our first podcast of 2010
EdTech Posse Podcast 6.1 – No tech after 5 p.m.

Mike Wesch presented at the University of Saskatchewan and University of Regina earlier this week. We discussed his presentations and reflected on some of the changes that might result from educators becoming aware of his work/message.

Some notes:

• Rick’s conversation/video podcast with Mike Wesch
• Mike Wesch’s presentation at the University of Regina: The (Digital) Writing on the Walls (and why the walls don’t matter anymore (Ustream recording)
• Digital Ethnography research group site
• Mike Wesch on twitter
• 2010 Haiti Earthquake (If you are in Canada and interested in donating, the CBC has compiled a list of organizations that are providing relief. The federal government will match donations made by individuals between now and Feb. 12, 2010)
• The Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock iPhone app – as endorsed by Dean

Prognostications for 2010:

• Rick – reinvestment of classroom video capture (we’re not in favour of this due to it’s reinforcement of traditional classroom models)
• Dean – advocacy/adoption of interactive whiteboards in classrooms (we have some of the same concerns about this as above)
• Rob – mobile technology (netbooks, the mythological Apple Tablet)

Promote/plug (things we think you might be interested in):

• Coyote Chalk blog written by Cori Saas, a former student of Dean’s
• The College of Education at the University of Saskatchewan. Rick says that great things are happening there.
• “Shop Class as Soul Craft” by Matthew Crawford is next on Rob’s reading list for books to read on his iPod touch using the Kobobooks app (terrific ebook seller). Matthew was recently heard on episode 97 of the CBC Radio program Spark.

Finally, Rob wants to thank Paul Wood for saying hi to his kids via Skype, and Alan Levine for being The Boy™’s first twitter buddy.

Thanks to Rob for recording, editing and supplying the show notes:

Konrad Glogowski was kind enough to spend an hour with teachers from my school division talking about what assessment looks like in the 21st century.

I think the ideas here are going to challenge some of your thinking and give you lots to consider.

Enjoy.

I'm exploring the concept of noise to signal and thought I might try a regular podcast/vodcast that provides quick tips to improve your noise to signal ratio.

So in the spirit of play and exploration here is episode 1.

As always, comments, suggestions, tips and critiques are welcome.

Tuesday evening I received a call from Rogers about my daughter's account. I was a bit shocked when she said the bill was over $900. After I finished hyper ventilating, had a very focused discussion with my daughter I sent out this tweet.

The truth is the bill over two [...]]]>

Tuesday evening I received a call from Rogers about my daughter's account. I was a bit shocked when she said the bill was over $900. After I finished hyper ventilating, had a very focused discussion with my daughter I sent out this tweet.

The truth is the bill over two months as over $900 of which $764.13 was texting. She's had this account for 2 years and when we set up her account we used Rogers My5 plan where you select 5 numbers and get unlimited texting and calls to those numbers. For many teens 5 may not be enough but my daughter only has a few friends that she texts with so this was fine with her. I rarely look at my bill but simply pay online. During the fall, she made a few new friends and a couple of others changed phones. She never gave it a second thought and neither did I.  That was a mistake.

Bill from November:

Bill from December:

While I certainly admit this was our fault, everyone would agree that texting and data charges in general are a bit out of whack. At least 20 others were willing to Retweet my concern. Here's a few of them:

Rogers were made very aware of my issue and responded this morning with a message for me to leave them a phone number to call. Within an hour, a nice man named John called me for more details. He said he'd call me back in a half hour and he did. While we both agreed that technically Rogers was not at fault, he seemed to recognize the absurdity of the amount.  Rogers showed good faith in crediting my account all her texts from November and December.

So what have we learned here? Besides my own learning to increase communication with my daughter, the power of twitter as a super charged communication tool is growing. I can't say for sure that calling customer service wouldn't have had the same result but my gut says it would have been way more difficult, if not impossible. There are lots of stories about how companies are leveraging twitter but customers as well. My questions are:

Is this scalable? Given it appears Rogers has about 3 people monitoring twitter, are they able to provide customer service to all their clients? I purposely did not call customer service to deal with this issue because I had had some contact with Rogers on twitter earlier and they seemed quite responsive.  I thought I'd wait and see if they would respond which they did.  I still don't know if this is scalable.

Do those with social media experience have better social skills? I don't know about you but if you've ever called customer service it seems most of those who answer the phone either have limited ability to have conversations that stray outside their scripts or have little authority to make decisions and you enter a game of phone tag and hand offs. Many times, it's just not worth it. In this case, not only were the people I interacted with quick, they did not pass me off but were able to deal with my issue intelligently and efficiently. John wasn't able to make any decision at the moment but promised to call me back in 30 minutes and he did. The issue was resolved very quickly.

Are there any lessons here for educators? Okay, I realize that may be a stretch and that I might be overstepping my right to compare everything to education but the immediacy of handling a issue, the availability of support and the personalization of the problem seem to be qualities that might make schools better.  I'm trying hard to resist the temptation to make grandiose parallel to schools but I suppose I couldn't help myself. Sorry Dan.

Anyway, it's a good story with a happy ending.

I'll be teaching a new session of advanced computers and technology with pre-service teachers at the University of Regina from January to April. In previous introductory courses I've had my students become mentors for classrooms around this world. The chance for my students to connect with great teachers and becoming involved in classrooms in a variety [...]]]>

I'll be teaching a new session of advanced computers and technology with pre-service teachers at the University of Regina from January to April. In previous introductory courses I've had my students become mentors for classrooms around this world. The chance for my students to connect with great teachers and becoming involved in classrooms in a variety of ways is often the most powerful learning they experience.

For the upcoming term I'd like to offer my students a chance to take that experience a little bit deeper. Instead of randomly posting to blogs or occasionally Skyping into classrooms, I'd like teachers to suggest a project, or teaching opportunity for my students to explore. 

The project might be a chance to teach a short series of lessons, build some tutorials, create some podcasts or videos. These are some suggestions but generally the idea would be for a group of my students, either pairs or threes would create or make something for you and your students. I"m open to other ideas but want my students to be involved in creating something of value using technology and working with/for a real classroom teacher.  Even if you have a thread of an idea but aren't quite sure exactly how it might work, I'd still like to have you apply. I'll do my best to work with you to narrow down what might work.

I've been so blessed to have many great teachers who have participated with this over the years. If you're one of those, I'd love to have you join again. I'll likely take about 15 or so classrooms. 

I would ask my students to contact you by the end of January to establish the nitty gritty of the project and work with you over the next few weeks with projects completed by the end of March or first week in April. 

Interested? If so, fill out this form. If you have more questions, email me shareski at gmail.com. If you think others might be interested, forward this, tweet it or send them my way.

365 photos with my daughter's music as a backdrop. I'm warning right now, it's 25 minutes. Maybe it will inspire a few more to take up the challenge.

For the second straight year I took at least one photo every day. I published almost 2500 photos to flickr in 2009. I have no measurable way of determining if I'm a better photographer or not, but the value of cheap failure leads me to believe it's likely. That's certainly one goal of the project [...]]]> For the second straight year I took at least one photo every day. I published almost 2500 photos to flickr in 2009. I have no measurable way of determining if I'm a better photographer or not, but the value of cheap failure leads me to believe it's likely. That's certainly one goal of the project but others include, documenting our lives, playing with images, seeing the world differently and learning from others.

I'm currently working on a video of all the photos which I'll post here on Friday but did a quick analysis of the subjects of my photos.

Nothing too surprising here much of the data was very much like last year. I did notice a few images that were very similar. All my photos of the day were named with a single word. That in itself was a challenge. It's hard to be creative every day. I haven't decided about 2010.  I'll leave you with my top photos of the year.

Last year's video was a great treat for our family and I'll post the 2009 edition here as well. If you're up for 25 minutes of more of this along with some great music by the young lady holding the coyote, we'll see you Friday in 2010.

I began teaching in 1988. It was a tough job and thinking about getting better was superseded by survival instincts. Early on in my career, there were several documents that the province produced in support of improved professional development. I didn't pay much attention to these but one phrase I saw in those documents some [...]]]> I began teaching in 1988. It was a tough job and thinking about getting better was superseded by survival instincts. Early on in my career, there were several documents that the province produced in support of improved professional development. I didn't pay much attention to these but one phrase I saw in those documents some 20 years ago stuck with me. Reflective Practitioner.  I sort of understood the concept but other than simply thinking about what you did in the classroom, I wasn't at all sure what to do with this term.

When I discovered blogs almost 5 years ago, I soon figured out what that term meant. Since that occasion I have sat down to write close to 1,000 pieces of reflection. While not all would be considered deep, most take me anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours to craft. While it may not always look like it, these are generally borne out of the times I spent observing, thinking and working in classrooms. The reflective writing has been valuable but definitely the nearly 4,000 comments have been even more of a learning experience. As it's been said many times, this is the single best professional development experience I've had. Way beyond any one conference, workshop or even twitter.

In a week I'll be teaching an advanced technology course at the University of Regina. In the introductory course, I've had students set up blogs to get a feel for what it's like. Some like it, others tolerate it. This term I would like the students to do some analysis of quality, reflective blogs of classroom teachers. I'd like them to develop some criteria for what they feel is a great reflective blog. Hopefully they'll be able to start a journey of reflection that will carry them into their career and not wait 15 years to begin what is certainly a critical characteristic of a great teacher.

I have to admit I've been remiss in developing a list of great classroom teacher blogs. Most classroom teachers use their blogs as homework portals or classroom showcase blogs. Others have developed resource or tool based blogs. I'm not suggesting these are bad but they aren't reflective. Most of the reflective blogs I read tend to be from those outside the classroom. First off, these folks do have more time to devout to blogging but also they need to do the work I'm doing so I gravitate to them naturally.

Three bloggers who I love to read because of the way they reflect and analyze their own practice are Kelly Christopherson, Clarence Fisher and Dan Meyer.

Kelly is an administrator and teacher in Saskatchewan. He wears his heart on his sleeve. I don't always see things the same way as he does but that's precisely why I read him.  His struggles of late deal with the challenges of change and leadership. If you're a school administrator, you'd find his writing fascinating and I'm sure many times you'd be nodding visibly as you read and other times yelling at him.  He doesn't write to make friends, he writes because you sense he has to.

Clarence is someone I've known and read for a number of years. Very cerebral, Clarence makes clear connections between what he sees in his classroom and what is happening in a larger scale. He's likely most similar to my style but certainly his daily experience with middle schoolers keeps him very grounded. He practices what he preaches. Every teacher can learn lots from him.

Dan is a high school math teacher currently on leave and working at Google. That hasn't stopped him from continuing to have a highly practical approach to blogging. He is keenly interested in what works in a classroom and less with lofty applications to solving all the problems with education. With a niche for media, he takes pride in analysing everything from classroom management techniques to how to design a useful handout.

That's three. Three teachers who spend time reflecting and writing about their experiences and ideas. I need to show my students more than these three. So if you'd be so kind, leave a comment with a similar description as I've used here to tell me about your favorite reflective classroom blogger. So read this, retweet it and together we can create a list that you can use and yes, selfishly I can use with my students.

cc licensed flickr photo shared by shareski

With K12 online conference 2009 under way, it leads me to ask what makes a good online presentation? How do  you create compelling online content that can and will be reused. Remember these are not live sessions but rather presentations in a variety of formats intended to be used in a variety of ways by [...]]]> With K12 online conference 2009 under way, it leads me to ask what makes a good online presentation? How do  you create compelling online content that can and will be reused. Remember these are not live sessions but rather presentations in a variety of formats intended to be used in a variety of ways by a variety of users. That's challenging to say the least. I applaud anyone who tackles such a task.

Since its inception in 2006, it's been interesting to see the presentations evolve. The decision last year to go to a more "TED-like" format was a good one in my opinion as it  addresses the amount of content in the conference but also gets presenters to get to the point. Twenty minutes is long enough in any context but on the web it's particularly daunting to keep folks interested.

There have been a number of delivery models and to be sure, and a clear winning style has not been established. However, there are a few concepts that seem to work, at least for me.

While it's hard to separate content from design, here are a few presentations that use some techniques that I think make them very viewable. I've taken one from each year, with the exception of 2006.

2009 Around the World with Skype by Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano. Silvia does a number of things which makes for a compelling presentation. She's clear on the onset about what she will be talking about. It's frustrating to watch 5 minutes of a 20 minute presentation trying to guess what it's about and what will be shared. Silvia let's you know early on exactly what she'll be discussing. She uses her own images. You can spend a lot of time searching flickr for the perfect image. Her use of her personal avatar figure likely took a long time to shoot all the images but in the end helps her create a great introduction. She uses video to show examples.  Live examples not only illustrates her concept more richly but anytime you can include students in action adds an emotional connection to the ideas.

2008 Film School for Video Podcasters by Matthew Needleman. Matthew obviously possess some storytelling skills and given his topic, you'd expect that. Matthew uses a story, a 1940's detective theme to weave in his ideas. A clever twist but one that's not used superfluously but as a meaningful way to share his ideas. He does a great job of chunking ideas. There are clear breaks and transitions. Easy to review.

2007 Online Professional Development by Jeff Utecht. While this was before the 20 minute time limit, Jeff still has a well designed presentation. It may not be possible in every presentation but Jeff models what he means by have some very informal, natural conversations that truly illustrate his point. Like Silvia, he shows you exactly what it looks like.

2006 Wiki While You Work by Mark Wagner. This was again before the current time limits but Mark really explored the ideas of what an online presentation could be. He made it personal. Simply by recording his presentation from his home office, talking with his friends and wife, it invited you in, to want to learn more. I applaud Mark for being being a pioneer in the online presentation.

2006 Derailing Education: Taking Side Trips for Learning by David Warlick. Having the first Keynote for year one, must have been both pressure packed as well as the feeling of a new frontier. Like Mark, but even more so, David invited us in to his home and town to explore. David carefully used his physical space to make clear connections to his ideas. While it was largely theoretical, the use of that space and helped to forge his ideas into something that I still reflect on today.

I'd invite you to watch these if only to examine them from a presentation perspective. These may not have been your favorites or even the best but I think they do offer some techniques and delivery models that work. Creating a presentation that's worth watching is hard work and nothing any of us were trained in given the fact that the genre has only existed for a few years. 

Now it's your turn. Do you have a favorite K12 Online or other presentation that you think has a unique delivery model?

Cross posted at TechLearning.

There's a time and a place for most everything.

When my wife announces, "I can't stand living in squalor, we need to clean this house now!" I tend to respond by saying, "Just tell me what to do". I say this not because I don't care about our house but it's clear who manages it. I'm [...]]]> There's a time and a place for most everything.

When my wife announces, "I can't stand living in squalor, we need to clean this house now!" I tend to respond by saying, "Just tell me what to do". I say this not because I don't care about our house but it's clear who manages it. I'm more of a high ranking employee (I think I may be inflating my position). I fine with that. I don't want her job. I'll contribute but don't want to expend much energy in the decision making process. While she might like me to be more invested, she realized a long time ago it's not likely to change.

Being involved with an abundance of initiatives, teachers in my school division often have the same response as we implement change. There are times when I can't blame them. Their plates are full and they are trying manage their lives and their classrooms. However I believe it suggests, like my attitude towards my household, they don't have much interest in owning the change. I'd be the first to admit that in many cases, these changes don't welcome their ownership. It is thrust upon them without much consultation. When they are asked for their input, it may be that they aren't trusting of the process given their past experiences. Yet many times when clear opportunities present themselves for teachers take charge of their learning, they retreat.

I'm part of a team that is working hard to model and develop partnerships with teachers. We recognize that in many cases we not only do not have the capacity to create the resources and supports for learning but also recognize the expertise we have amongst our teachers.  Many do take up the charge and flourish and relish the opportunity to co-create. We're smack dab in the middle of a curriculum renewal. This curriculum represents a major shift from the past. Fewer outcomes, bigger ideas and more latitude for teachers to teach and students to learn. While that might appeal to some, for others it raises questions like, what resources do I use? How do I assess? Where do I find the time to develop all the curricula? All important questions that are best answered collectively. As support people, we don't have all the answers, nor should we. Teachers have great expertise and should have their voices heard as we implement these changes. Yet many disagree and would be preferred to be told what and even how to teach.

While there remains some disagreement as to who is responsible for curriculum design, the larger question for me remains, at what point do we no longer accept the response of "just tell me what to do" in all areas of education?

This is a direct parallel to what happens each day in classrooms. Typically the higher achieving students are very happy to be told what to do because they have developed skills in giving teachers what they want. They're good at it and can remain a non-committed learner and have success as defined by high grades. The moment we ask students to take charge of their learning, it suggests a level of commitment, engagement and discomfort that many aren't willing to accept. Asking students what they want to learn and how they want to learn it is a shift of major proportions. I'm not suggesting we fully adopt a system where authority and guidance have no place but at present, there is very little opportunity for students to take control and charge of their learning.  I'm not sure we're ready to move in that direction  until we can get teachers to begin to own their learning as well.

If you're reading this blog, you're likely someone who already takes charge of your learning and you choose what to read and absorb. You likely rarely say, "just tell me what to do" on the big issues of your job. Compliance isn't always a bad thing and there are many occasions, when we just are as invested as others and just want to get the job done without a lot of discussion or analysis. But the shift to personalized learning, if indeed you see or believe that shift, demands students and teachers to take charge. That might be the biggest challenge of all.

So when is it okay to be told what to do and when do we suggest, and even demand learners (teachers and students) to own their learning? This is hard question no doubt and I relish your thoughts.

cc licensed flickr photo shared by shareski

In no particular order.

Cross posted at The Tech Learning Blog

This facebook/twitter posting by Chris Lehmann got my attention.

It's hard to argue with that statement and it raises some interesting questions and implications. It reminded me this cartoon by Hugh MacLeod (warning, Hugh as an affection for the f-bomb)

It's powerful statement warning about our ability to connect and yet [...]]]> Cross posted at The Tech Learning Blog

This facebook/twitter posting by Chris Lehmann got my attention.

It's hard to argue with that statement and it raises some interesting questions and implications. It reminded me this cartoon by Hugh MacLeod (warning, Hugh as an affection for the f-bomb)

It's powerful statement warning about our ability to connect and yet wallow in shallowness and fluff. While I concur with Chris's concern I also think it's important to explore the nature and purpose of audience.

Placing a clustr map on your blog or receiving a comment from someone on the other side of the world is pretty amazing. Often in very contrived ways, teachers find these connections for their students and generally get the "ooohs" and "awwwws" for while. As Chris suggests this novelty fades. But I would argue the word "audience" has a number of connotations and uses. Understanding and leveraging them thoughtfully is the key.

Audience as Eyeballs

This is about pure numbers. Views on a youtube video, reads on a blog, traffic on a website. These tell students that others are watching.  That's important. Just as it's important when fans show up at a basketball game. It says what you do matters. What it doesn't say necessarily, is that what you are doing is any good.  You can put a video on youtube of yourself clipping your toenails and get 5,000 views. It says very little about quality and lasting value. In the end, the views are nice but won't lead to much more than a little recognition.

Audience as Teachers

This is when the audience suddenly participates rather than just views. Comments on a blog, emails, video responses are prime interactions. You have the opportunity to grow and get better. Fostering this type of relationship with your audience might be contrived as two classrooms decide to spend a little time on each other's space but even if it is, we know the power of peer review and assessment for learning. When students have to thoughtfully provide feedback and critique, both parties benefit. Even random, one off comments are useful and offer students new perspectives not otherwise available from their teachers and or classmates. Students will indeed have powerful things to say and share as they craft their messages and products under the tutelage of many teachers.

Audience as Co-Learners

When students now see themselves as teachers to others we have truly harnessed the power of the audience. This isn't about novelty anymore but authentic exchange between interested learners. It doesn't matter if it's only one person but the idea that your work or ideas not only matter but are important in the development of others learning.  A little anonymity and distance seems to be a good thing in some cases. It's less about personalities and more about learning.

The question that we need to ask is can this occur in our classrooms without seeking an audience from the outside? I suggest it's possible but not as likely. Great teachers may be able to make this happen under certain conditions but the reason we love the internet is it's ability to personalize, customize and connect our learning to world. To suggest that room itself has all it needs to learn and grow is simply false. Limiting learning to the walls of classroom ignores a possibility that's too great to pass up. Good work needs to be shared.

Our students deserve not only an audience who would watch what they do but one that would actively participate in their learning.

One final point. Given that I would estimate fewer than 25% of our students even have a chance to find an audience via their schools, I hesitate to be too critical of teachers who only offer an audience of eyeballs. I would hate for that to be the ultimate goal, however, as Chris states, this novelty will wear off. Audience for the sake of audience is fleeting. Audience for the sake of learning is lasting.

Maybe I'm just too lazy or unimaginative so I stole the title of my last post to make this one. Whatever.

I'm not sure why but this topic runs pretty deep with me. I found Alfie Kohn's article this morning on twitter (I like the fact that he brings back stuff from the archives, I wish [...]]]> Maybe I'm just too lazy or unimaginative so I stole the title of my last post to make this one. Whatever.

I'm not sure why but this topic runs pretty deep with me. I found Alfie Kohn's article this morning on twitter (I like the fact that he brings back stuff from the archives, I wish more people would do that. Old is not bad) and thought I'd highlight a few gems found inside it.

While I recognize many peoples opposition to Kohn's highly progressive, Deweyesque slants, I find myself more in agreement with him than opposition. In the case of this article, I find it hard to disagree.

I would begin by defining joy as a clear sense of satisfaction at the work or relationships that surround us. That's the definition, I'll use as I explore this idea. This does not equate with happiness, it's perhaps part of it but I'm talking about a sense of purpose and success. This is directly linked to a passion based learning environment.

Joy has been in short supply in some classrooms for as long as there have been classrooms. But I join Deborah Meier in wondering whether things are worse now, not only because more people are less happy but because this is taken for granted; we don’t even see it as a problem that requires our attention.

I can't remember having "joy" or "student's attitude toward school" on any meeting agenda in 20+ years in education. It's less important than if the school sports teams get new uniforms or if we'll stop allowing students to bring potato chips as snacks.

It’s simply stunning, therefore, that some traditionalists actually complain about an excessive concern with children’s happiness. Earlier this year, I came across an essay by an administrator who attempted to explain the supposed inferiority of U.S. schools by asserting that, whereas parents in other countries ask their children, "What did you learn in school today?," American parents ask, "Did you enjoy school today?"

Would that it were true! The author Frank McCourt, who taught at a prestigious New York City high school for 18 years, told the journalist John Merrow that only once in all that time had a parent ever asked him, "Is my child enjoying school?" Instead, all he—and, presumably, the students themselves—heard from parents were questions about test scores, college applications, and getting the work done.

It bugs me when my own kids, who do very well in school say they don't really like school. I know that it's the right thing to say when you're a kid but even when we get past the surface response, it's clear that learning isn't all that pleasureable. This is not because we have bad teachers, it's because we have schools that place student satisfaction way below everything else. "It doesn't matter if they like it  or not." Really? What are the chances your student's will be proficient in using Mathematics after high school if they hated it? Again, this is about everything we do being akin to spending 6 hours playing HALO, but there has to be an element of joy, don't you think? Those classrooms where joy is the unspoken or spoken default environment, are the ones where good learning happens everyday. I have no data to back that up so you can dismiss that as opinion but I'd stand by the claim. But as I consider what we're doing to teachers in the quest for "higher achievement", I think we could remedy much of their stress but supporting them and encouraging them more strongly to make learning a joyful experience.

Academic excellence, the usual rationale for such decisions, is actually far more likely to flourish when students enjoy what they’re doing. "Children (and adults, too) learn best when they are happy," as Nel Noddings observes in her book Happiness and Education. How they feel—about themselves, about their teachers, about the curriculum and the whole experience of school—is crucially related to the quality of their learning. Richer thinking is more likely to occur in an atmosphere of exuberant discovery, in the kind of place where kids plunge into their projects and can’t wait to pick up where they left off yesterday.

But in pointing this out, I fear that I’m appearing to accept an odious premise—namely, that joy must be justified as a means to the end of better academic performance. Not so: It’s an end in itself. Not the only end, perhaps, but a damned important one. Thus, anyone who has spent time in classrooms that vibrate with enthusiasm needs to keep such memories alive in all their specificity to serve as so many yardsticks against which to measure what we’ve lost: 6-year-olds listening to a story, rapt and breathless; teenagers so immersed in an activity that they forget to worry about appearing cool; those little explosions of delight attendant on figuring something out.

Nobody seeks to snuff out joy intentionally, it just happens. The antidote is to be intentional about including joy in the classroom. We can fall into the same trap as parents. The fact we love our children should make this minimal but we've all been guilty of getting so caught up in accomplishing our various goals that we forget to experience joy and live in world where mistakes are valued, where working together on a project is fulfilling and where we celebrate completing a challenging task. Again, this is not some airy, fairy thing, this is, as Kohn suggests, an end, in and of itself. These not be separate, but seriously, if I had to choose between rigor and joy, I'd pick joy every time. But I don't think we have to choose.

I'll end with this quote from Taylor Caldwell

"Learning should be a joy
and full of excitement.
It is life's greatest adventure;
it is an illustrated excursion into the minds of noble and learned men."

Now there's a mission statement that matters.

cc licensed flickr photo shared by John-Morgan

Cross Posted at the TechLearning blog

Our district uses its front page to post success stories from our 40 schools. These range from academic achievements to athletic accomplishments of school teams. Schools post the stories to their own Website and submit them to me to post to the district page where generally there is more traffic. [...]]]> Cross Posted at the TechLearning blog

Our district uses its front page to post success stories from our 40 schools. These range from academic achievements to athletic accomplishments of school teams. Schools post the stories to their own Website and submit them to me to post to the district page where generally there is more traffic. This one was sent to me earlier in the week.

Tanner Spencer from Craik, SK, attended team Canada's World Junior top 35 camp in Orlando, Florida from October 5th to October 15th.  Tanner is the youngest Saskatchewan player ever chosen to go.  The majority of the team was from BC, Ontario, and Quebec.  One player was chosen from the Maritimes, one from Manitoba, one from Saskatchewan and two from Alberta.  Tanner started pitching the first game in Orlando, started the fourth game and closed the last game.  He gave up no earned runs on six innings pitched.  Congratulations Tanner.

As soon as I read it I realize they had violated our district policy which states we will never publish a photo of a student with a full name. I also realized in that moment how absurd that policy is.

As we explore the idea of a digital footprint and identity we must consider that at some point we want to our students to own their work and accomplishments and showcase them to a variety of audiences. If I'm Tanner or Tanner's parents I want as many people as possible to know of his accomplishments. I immediately sent out my concerns about our policy to our school technology representatives and one of the school leaders, Angus Mcintosh, responded this way:

It is in Tanner's very best interest, at this point,  that everybody knows is name. He will have offers for scholarships to Major U.S Colleges and Universities and already has a collection of business cards from Major League scouts. The more people that know about him, the more  choices and opportunities it will create for him. People "knowing" Tanners name started somewhere, and the word has spread that there is a very good young pitcher living in Craik and playing ball in Moose Jaw. He has many doors open for him to choose from.

But for every Tanner Spencer, there is the opposite. There are children with  unfortunate backgrounds that need protection in terms of privacy. We know that and will always respect that. But I also think (hope?) they are as rare as Tanner.

And here's the point that is critical.

And then there is the rest. There are kids with special talents that few people know about. What about them? I would bet our schools are full of kids like Tanner but their talent is in Art, or Drama, or Math, or Writing etc. Most kids probably don't even know where their talent is! But if they did, would they be able to open the doors like Tanner has? How does a superior math student get "recruited" to a University? Can a dance student get into the National Ballet if nobody knows what they have accomplished? At some point everyone needs to "sell themselves" in a job interview, or a business proposal, or even a meeting with the bank manager for your first mortgage.   If we can show kids that their accomplishments are to be proud of, and that the accomplishments are not anonymous, we can teach self confidence, and true self esteem.

While this confidence and self esteem can be and should be established offline even more so that online, we do a huge disservice to our students when in efforts to protect them we inadvertently rob them of the opportunity to be recognized.

I get pretty zealous over stuff like this and perhaps I've missed something here. If I have please share.

This is the audio and the slides from a presentation for SIAST Virtual Campus.

Last week I posted a rant entitiled, "We have to Stop Doing This to Teachers". I lamented about a number of conversations with teachers about the struggles of doing good work and dealing with change. Anytime you tag your post with the word "rant" it usually means there is some unfinished thoughts. (I guess you [...]]]> Last week I posted a rant entitiled, "We have to Stop Doing This to Teachers". I lamented about a number of conversations with teachers about the struggles of doing good work and dealing with change. Anytime you tag your post with the word "rant" it usually means there is some unfinished thoughts. (I guess you could say that about every one of my posts)

Rather than commenting on each person, I thought I'd highlight some of the more salient remarks and perhaps add some commentary of my own.

Alan writes:

I am less sanguine about the consensus for change. Competing philosophies of education still hold teacher’s attention. The teacher’s priorities also act as a barrier. Dean mentioned concerns that the focus is to narrowed on Math and Reading (add writing to this). Sure there are marginal teachers, or sound teachers in a slump; however, as Dean remarked, most teachers are innovators. We all have private action research projects we have committed ourselves to and these compete with the division’s primary curricular goals.

I'm not so sure I'd use the word innovator but certainly each teacher brings their personal bias and strengths which adds diversity to students' educational experience. While no one explicitly states that health or art are less important, the message is implied. It reminded me of a post and the comments of a previous rant from about 11 months ago as well as this quote:

Dave writes:

I’ve never seen a detailed breakdown of teachers’ time. If a group of teachers voluntarily started keeping these notes, and if administrators and support staff paid attention and gathered the data, we’d have a much better picture of the problem, could work towards some solutions, and make actual progress because we’d have data to show the decision-makers.

This could be an interesting research. My sense is that so much of the is interrupted in terms of student learning which includes obstrusive assessments. I had a number of teachers last week tell me that they spend more time working at home than they ever have. Again, this is anecdotal, perhaps some hard core data would be of value. Two can play that game.

Megan:

I am convinced that it can only happen when teachers are taught about the power of the personal learning network. By reading and writing and reflecting, teachers can not only connect with those down the hall but also with others from around the world. Through these networks, teachers can begin to grow professionally in their own ways and on their own time line. Of course, this takes great leadership (and possibly PLCs which teach and foster a 21st century mentality), but I think it’s a way to make transformative changes in schools and in teacher-attitudes from the bottom-up.

Although a few of the teachers I spoke with fit into this category, I agree that the support and power of personal learning networks are valuable. That said, our current division uses the term PLC very badly. In fact, what we do is not a PLC and it certainly isn't personal. Teachers are given 3 days throughout the year to work collaboratively on fairly targeted areas.  The work itself is important but somehow the personal part needs to be included. This argument always falls back into a lack of time and will to provide teachers the ability to learn from and with each other. That's why those who are developing this online have the edge. They use their own time and efforts to do this work. There needs to be a better balance between personal learning and professional learning. Not that the two terms can't coexist but as a district or school, there may be certain goals that don't necessarily align or meet every teacher or student's needs but we can't ignore the professional judgement and needs of individual teachers.

Gord, a school administrator from my division writes:

There is no disagreement among teachers, administrators, or senior administrators that the changes we are discussing/implementing are positive and promising for improving student learning. In fact many of the changes we have been wanting for years are coming to fruition. The challenge of course is not in the believing or understanding of the change, but rather the complexity of the implementation. Teachers need time and training to successfully implement the transformation. Just as we do with our students, chunking, scaffolding, and mastery of outcomes come one at a time and build on one another. What we are doing right now is serving a buffet of change and asking teachers to taste a little bit of everything, without really having time to digest anything. Thus, as the instructional leader in our school, I find it my responsibility to filter out some of the myriad of choices and present them one at a time rather than force feeding everything and causing a mass case of indigestion. Change is good and will be a constant for all, but how we manage change and take others with us in the journey is critical to a true transformation.

Sue King,

To me, one of the biggest issues is that deep level change is needed – significant change – and that is not possible to do incrementally while school is in session in the manner we currently do things. I think a very different approach is needed – but the state leaders in education seem hell-bent on staying on the course of accountability via low-level standardized assessments given to all in order to “hold teachers and schools accountable for student learning.” Though the “student learning” being measured is not, to me, genuine learning. I am ready for a change – just do not know how or with whom to join to create something different – something that can start small but be brought to a larger scale in a reasonable amount of time!

Deep level change. That's an ongoing problem with education. We nibble at a variety of approaches and rarely dig deep. I'm excited about the possiblity of our new Saskatchewan Curriculum. It offers the possbility to go deep. Fewer outcomes that focus on big ideas and supporting indicators to guide assessments. Designing learning that answers the questions, "Why do I need to learn this?" and "What is it that I want my students to remember 5 years after they graduate?" is a worthy goal. There are huge implications about how to do that. That's a major shift we're dealing with right now.

Bill Ferriter,

I’ve never wanted to be anything but a classroom teacher–and have turned down many, many high paying opportunities to work beyond the classroom to stay true to that commitment. But I’m actively looking for a way out….and I’ll do almost anything: consultant, college professor, instructional resource teacher etc.

Pretty harsh reaction to someone who obviously is a valued teacher. I worry more and more of our best will be thinking this way. Not that those options are bad, I'm one of them, but certainly seeing those options as a way out, doesn't bode well for the future of the profession.

Finally, a bit of a dissenting point and one that is worth considering and responding to. Joel says,

I don’t think it’s fair to paint teachers as victims or martyrs. Professionals in many fields take responsibility for the product and the process of their work, and it seems that teachers may finally need to step up to the plate on both of these fronts.

I’m always amazed by teachers who think that education is some kind of ultra-noble exercise that is unaffected by the laws of organizational dynamics. It seems we’ve largely neglected our professional responsibilities for quality control, productivity, corporate culture and innovation. We’ve handed the reigns of our profession to administrators, staff development experts, teacher’s unions, and local and federal policy makers.

What did we expect? Did we really not see this kind of reform coming?

My response to Joel is that the "pull up  your bootstraps" approach does have some merit, however, there are so many mixed messages that the whole idea of reform is a muddied notion.  As he states early in his comment,

I’m a sixth grade teacher in Tucson, and I feel much of the pressure you describe. It feels like trying to rebuild the engine of a car while the car is still cruising down the highway.

Reminds me of the EDS ad about airplanes. That challenge is particularly unique to education since we can't ever stop.

Thanks for all those great comments and insights. This is why I write; to learn. Does any of this strike a nerve? Did we miss something?

For two years I've observed from a distance the energy and sharing of ideas that have taken place at Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia. The day after it ended in January 2009, I decided I wouldn't miss it again. My registration is in and my tickets are booked. In fact, I'm paying my own way [...]]]> For two years I've observed from a distance the energy and sharing of ideas that have taken place at Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia. The day after it ended in January 2009, I decided I wouldn't miss it again. My registration is in and my tickets are booked. In fact, I'm paying my own way for this one, it's that good.

If you're looking to participate in a learning event that's different from the regular conference, this is it. Fortunately Chris and his staff and students have always made it available virtually so even if you can't attend in person, you can participate both as an attendee but also as a facilitator of conversation. From Chris' Website.

The students and faculty of the Science Leadership Academy — and all the amazing folks who give of their time and energy and ideas — are again hosting EduCon! This year's EduCon 2.2 is now open for registration and for the call for conversations!

This conference only happens because so many people are excited to come together and share their ideas and passion. We have some amazing events lining up for this year, but the sessions — the things that the community creates and imbues with meaning — will always be the heart of the conference. So please, consider coming, and considering submitting a proposal to facilitate a conversation.

About EduCon 2.2:
 

And it is not a technology conference. It is an education conference. It is, hopefully, an innovation conference where we can come together, both in person and virtually, to discuss the future of schools. Every session will be an opportunity to discuss and debate ideas — from the very practical to the big dreams.

The Axioms

Guiding Principles of EduCon 2.2
1) Our schools must be inquiry-driven, thoughtful and empowering for all members
2) Our schools must be about co-creating — together with our students — the 21st Century Citizen
3) Technology must serve pedagogy, not the other way around.
4) Technology must enable students to research, create, communicate and collaborate
5) Learning can — and must — be networked.

Now, perhaps more than ever, it is important that a community of educators come together to share a vision of what our schools can be. Proposals are due November 1st. Registration will be open without late fee until mid-January.

 

cc licensed flickr photo shared by teachandlearn

I been out of the classroom just long enough (7 years) to forget what’s it’s like. Not what it’s like to teach because I’ve been teaching, albeit at the college level but the I believe there are more similarities than differences. What I forget is all the "stuff" they deal with everyday. Some of this [...]]]> I been out of the classroom just long enough (7 years) to forget what’s it’s like. Not what it’s like to teach because I’ve been teaching, albeit at the college level but the I believe there are more similarities than differences. What I forget is all the "stuff" they deal with everyday. Some of this stuff has been there all the time. Dealing with parents who wonder why their kid got a bad grade, trying to come up with a new way to help your students learn long division, settling an argument that took place during a break or trying to figure out why your room smells. Those things will always be there. The stuff I’m talking may have been around for a while but it’s escalated over the past few years since I’ve been in the classroom.

Our division, specifically, is only 4 years old. Like all the divisions in Saskatchewan we forced to combine with smaller divisions to make larger ones. Ours is made up of 7 small districts. I would argue that we’ve done a pretty decent job of transitioning and building culture given the circumstances. But in addition to that our teachers are dealing with new curriculum, decreased PD time, new grading system, high expectations around differientated instruction, larger class sizes and i ncreased accountability. These changes represent major changes for many teachers and the overall theme here is to insure the highest quality of learning opportunity for all students.

I’m fortunate to be able to work with great teachers who genuinely want to get better. They recognize that while the may be skilled teachers, they don’t have the time or resources to implement all the necessary changes that are being placed upon them. We have very little argument about the shifts to student involved assessment, student led conferences or brand new curriculum.Good teaching, while based on many tried and true principles always considers how it needs to improve. In general, they appreciate the work that the consultants in our division do. I believe that the vast majority of our teachers fit into this category. No one goes into teaching to be lousy. We have bad teachers, but I don’t that we have very many.

I also get to spend a great deal of time with our superintendents and other leaders in our division and to a person, they all want to create a division where students succeed, teachers are great and everyone loves their job. They aren’t interested in making people nuts. As a province and division, our curriculum and beliefs around teaching and learning is recognizing the shift in role of expert to learner. This is all good but simply telling people they need to change isn’t a great formula for success. Not that that has been the case but when I talk to teachers I’m hearing the same message.

"It’s too much"
"It seems the only things that are valued are Reading and Math"
"I feel like everything I’m doing is wrong"
"I’m not sleeping well"
"I need time to implement"
 

Something’s very wrong when a whole bunch of good people all trying to do what’s best for kids feel like this. Is this just about a bad system or are we trying to do too much too quickly? I’m not sure but if we don’t figure this out soon, we’re going to have problems finding great teachers to fill our schools. Maybe we’ve always have been saying these things, it just seems to me things are escalating. I don’t think the things I suggest here are unique to our situation. But maybe I’m wrong. We could just, "stop the train, slow down" and not rock the boat. But if we believe that change is envitable and necessary, how do we do that and not drive teachers nuts?

So please help me understand. Does the scenario I write about resonate with you? If so what are your thoughts about the root causes and solutions? If you feel differently about education, by all means share what has made the difference.

cc licensed flickr photo shared by Maria & Michal Parzuchowski

Lesley Edwards left me a really interesting link in her lastest comment. Google Image Labeler is something I hadn’t seen before. Here’s how it works:

You’ll be randomly paired with a partner who’s online and using the feature. Over a two-minute period, you and your partner will:

View the same set of images.

Provide as many labels as [...]]]>

Lesley Edwards left me a really interesting link in her lastest comment. Google Image Labeler is something I hadn’t seen before. Here’s how it works:

You’ll be randomly paired with a partner who’s online and using the feature. Over a two-minute period, you and your partner will:

• View the same set of images.

• Provide as many labels as possible to describe each image you see.

• Receive points when your label matches your partner’s label. The number of points will depend on how specific your label is.

• See more images until time runs out.

After time expires, you can explore the images you’ve seen and the websites where those images were found. And we’ll show you the points you’ve earned throughout the session.

I’m already thinking of the classroom applications involving vocabularly, visual literacy and logic. In addition, you’re working at making the web better. Not a bad deal.

cc licensed flickr photo shared by Carlos Magaña

Search is highly overrated.

I have a serious problem. As I build presentations I get a clear vision of an idea or concept I want to discuss and I immediately want to visualize it. For better or worse, I gain and make meaning with visuals. To that end I’ve continued to create slides that I reuse [...]]]> Search is highly overrated.

I have a serious problem. As I build presentations I get a clear vision of an idea or concept I want to discuss and I immediately want to visualize it. For better or worse, I gain and make meaning with visuals. To that end I’ve continued to create slides that I reuse and share with others. Fortunately others have shared my passion and created a nice set that others are free to use.

Today’s vision was around filtering. Not that kind of filtering but the kind I’ve discussed here. On more than one occasion, I’ve quoted Clay Shirky’s quote about filter failure. It has been begging to be visualized, at least for me. So I head over to flickr and realize that my vision lacked easily searchable terms. I had envisioned a larger quantity of some item with one item standing out. I tried several search terms and phrases but didn’t find what I wanted.

I turned to twitter.

After this initial request:

Over the next 30 minutes I recieved 20 various image suggestions and 4 other ideas of how to create one. Here they are:

@robletcher offered these two:

http://bit.ly/80zrS?r=td

http://bit.ly/cWAUc

@triareanews suggested these three:

http://images.inmagine.com/img/imagesource/ie236/ie236003.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3533/3931819587_48fdec1fd9.jpg

http://artforprofits.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/stand-out.jpg

Here’s four from @tuchodi

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15202064@N03/2435295029/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hollyclark/450509297/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/unlearn_art/3143041781/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnkay/3924381425/

@bookminder responded to my "needle in the haystack" concept

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/140/335350003_9ca033ba68_m.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisanorwood/1046416640/

I nearly went with this one from @dlsio4 who apparently thought of something he had and took the picture on the spot

http://img96.yfrog.com/i/dyu.jpg/

@njtechteacher offered to take a photo of a pile of legos but did suggest this one

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pagedooley/1804080776/

In the end, Sean Nash gave me six to choose from:

It was that last one that I chose. I could have picked any of the ones offered me and I’m sure you might have chosen differently. The point is that sometimes search doesn’t get it done. Google only goes so far. I needed people to help me sort out my ideas and provide inspiration to reach a satisfying conclusion. I feel badly for folks who don’t have this resource.

Oh by the way, here’s the final product.