Ideas and Thoughts

Further to my last post, in the last month I’ve graduated from a novice blogger to an expert. Expert only in the sense that I have to do a workshop on what I know about blogging and help some teachers set up their own professional/classroom blogs. Really and truly I know I’m still a novice but this won’t be the first time I’ve posed as someone with knowledge.
The weird thing is with this one, everyone is still figuring out what works. Thankfully folks like Will R. have been working hard at developing this concept for students. He talks about Shaking Society.
Blogging is about a conversation that doesn’t end.

It’s like wildfire. You start talking about blogs and pretty soon it’s everywhere. CTV news did a piece on last week and CBC radio did a piece on it as well. I still wish people would stop calling them online diaries but that’s another story.
I’ve had several teachers interested in using it as a class website and also to encourage writing and I have a suspision it will soon surpass traditional websites for classrooms.

The RSS deal is also gettting to become a big thing. I subscribe to 34 feeds thus far and obviously that will grow.

I haven’t quite been able to put my finger on why this is such a vastly different way to experience the web but it is. I’m sure folks with more understanding have already thought this one through.

I did a session today at our Teachers’ Convention called a few of my favourite things. It sounds a bit narcisstic which it may have been. I attended a similar session at FETC so I certainly borrowed the idea but included many of the tools that I’ve found very helpful over the past while. One of the tools I shared was Microsoft’s Mappoint site. I think it’s an excellent site for finding directions and general mapping. Google has released something called Google maps. It’s a much more interactive site but seems weak as far as Canadian maps are concerned.

Using Bloglines which is my RSS news reader, I was looking at Rick Schwier’s blog and he mentioned Google maps. In one of his comments Alec Couros pointed out a site called Map24. I check it out and he’s right, it’s very good and extremely interactive. I encourage you to have a look.

Being able to tap into the research, thoughts and ideas of others makes you understand the power of blogs and RSS.

Our school techs will banter with each other about these catch phrases. Anytime they introduce new technologies, these words will evidently come into the conversation. It’s becoming an inside joke.

I watch the movie Cellular last night.

Fast paced, energetic and thought provoking as it related to technology. I enjoyed the special feature which dealt with many of the questions around the history of cell phones as well as the future. The piece ended with a prediction of one of the experts that we will have embedded chips under our skin and will simply have to think of someone and the chip will dial their number.

I don’t know if that’s where things are headed but it’s becoming more and more clear that the cell phone is quickly become the most prevalent technology we have. This certainly will raise and has already raised some interesting questions for schools.

My take is we need to accept this technology is here to stay and we’d better figure out how we can use it like any other tool to learn. It was mentioned in the special feature that cell phone makers really had no idea what young people would use them for and have since responed to their desires on using them. Cameras, text messaging, web browsing have all been uses that were never intended originally.

I’d like to think that technology is value free but that’s perhaps a bit naive. I do however feel that we as educators are in a very influential position in helping students learn to use the technology in the most effective ways.

I give Cellular a thumbs up.

ps. I don’t own a cell phone.

The learning that takes place with people you’ve never met is quite a unique experience. Currently I’m enrolled in a graduate class from Athabasca University. The course is called Human Factors in Distance Education. It’s project based which I prefer but it’s unusual in that most of the students are not educators. We’re developing a website on the Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection. Learning from non-teachers is valuable.

Will Richardson wrote recently about his thoughts on blogging and the online community. Everyone can potentially be an authority. This can be dangerous but it also opens up great possibilities.

Another great example of the need for teachers to be experts of information literacy not technology.