Aug 31, 2008
America You Just Don't Get It
Interesting blog post by Jeff Uctecht on his Blog The Thinking Stick entitled America You Just Don't Get It
Aug 26, 2008
ISTE Second Life Webinar
Today I attended ISTE's webinar on Second Life by Peggy Sheehly. There were some great quotes that she shared that I wanted to hang onto. One was "As technology evolves literacy evolves". Another was a quote by Marc Prensky, "Connectivity is their birthright". Peggy also shared that her students didn't want tutorials on Second Life. She said, "Our kids today expect the interface to teach them". I also like what she shared about Paul Gee's work that these environments allow students to take risks without fear of repercussions.
Aug 17, 2008
A Teachable Moment
This week's New York Times Magazine has a really interesting story entitled, A Teachable Moment by Paul Tough. The article talks about the interesting opportunity that has arisen in New Orleans to radically reform the school system due to Katrina. Due to the fact that there is no school board, no collective bargaining agreement, and a teachers union with very little power" (p. 51) allows for change leaders the freedom to try new educational reforms. Many new charter schools have been created in New Orleans. The article points out that "on average nationwide, charters don't do significantly better than traditional public schools" (p. 36).
I liked the article because the authors were willing to explore some very tough questions that face education today. They also interviewed some provocative leaders who are involved in the movement to reform the New Orleans school system. These leaders gave very honest answers and perspectives to these complex issues.
Paul Pastorek, the state education superintendent, who interestingly did not come from an educational background, talked about how new forms of leadership are needed. He said, "the command and control structure can produce marginal improvements, but what's clear to me is that it can only get you so far. If you create a system where initiative and creativity is valued and rewarded, then you'll get change from the bottom up. If you create a system where people are told what to do and how to do it, then you will get change from the top down" (p. 34).
Diane Ravitch, who researches school reform, points out, "If you don't buttress whatever happens in school with social and economic changes that give kids a better chance in life and put their families on a more stable footing, then schools alone are not going to solve the problems of poor student performance. There has to be a range of social and economic strategies to support and enhance whatever happens in school" (p. 37).
Patorek agreed with Ravitch, but added that currently he doesn't have the luxury of the funding it would take to address these issues. He said that he has to "take the position that we're going to do it in spite of that" (p.46).
I liked the article because the authors were willing to explore some very tough questions that face education today. They also interviewed some provocative leaders who are involved in the movement to reform the New Orleans school system. These leaders gave very honest answers and perspectives to these complex issues.
Paul Pastorek, the state education superintendent, who interestingly did not come from an educational background, talked about how new forms of leadership are needed. He said, "the command and control structure can produce marginal improvements, but what's clear to me is that it can only get you so far. If you create a system where initiative and creativity is valued and rewarded, then you'll get change from the bottom up. If you create a system where people are told what to do and how to do it, then you will get change from the top down" (p. 34).
Diane Ravitch, who researches school reform, points out, "If you don't buttress whatever happens in school with social and economic changes that give kids a better chance in life and put their families on a more stable footing, then schools alone are not going to solve the problems of poor student performance. There has to be a range of social and economic strategies to support and enhance whatever happens in school" (p. 37).
Patorek agreed with Ravitch, but added that currently he doesn't have the luxury of the funding it would take to address these issues. He said that he has to "take the position that we're going to do it in spite of that" (p.46).
Aug 15, 2008
Final Project
This week five teachers gathered at the San Jose Museum of Art for a week long investigation of art and the art of questioning. Visual Thinking Skills were used to explore the robot exhibit. Visual Thinking Skills were used to explore the robot exhibit. Teachers questioned and learned together, sharing knowledge and using technology to address reflective learning. The teachers furthered their understanding of 21st Century Skills that are vital to the success of our students. The robots served as a constant reminder of our current technological age and a platform for the VTS questioning strategies that promote analytical thinking. A vodcast, learning, and a robot were built.
Aug 13, 2008
Visual Language Interface
Two of the 21st Century Skills are visual literacy and technical literacy. Those really mashed up for me today working with the new version of iMovie. The interface is really really different than the linear timeline programs we are used to. It is like talking a visual language in which pallates overlay one another.
Aug 12, 2008
Learning to Look
Today we worked two dimensionally. Yesterday we worked on experiencing VTS (Visual Thinking Strategies) with San Jose Museum docent Michael Arellano. Today we tried to be practitioners of VTS by trying to create that experience for the audiences of our vodcasts. As educators it was hard. We come from a culture where teachers are the experts and our natural behavior is to want to tell people about our interpretations instead of lead them through an inquiry process to discover it on their own. Lucy Larson from the San Jose Museum staff critiqued our script in the afternoon. She helped us back up the lens even more to provide an even better experience for our audience to look and discover. This will really help us help our audience to develop their visual literacy skills.
Aug 11, 2008
Robots!
This week we started the San Jose Digital Media Course at the San Jose Museum. We are creating a vodcast on the use of robots in art. You can learn more about the course on our course wiki. The picture on the right comes from part of Twin Palms Rest in Peace.
Aug 10, 2008
Web 2.0 Interview
Rick Ziolkowski, a technology integration specialist in the Elmbrook School District, asked to interview me for an online course he is taking on Web 2.0. I asked him if I could post the interview on my blog and he agreed.
Q: Of the following Web 2.0 technologies; Wiki, Blog, RSS Feed/Aggregators, Social Bookmarking, and Podcasting, which one do you think will be embraced most quickly by teachers? How long do think it will take for this technology to become a tool commonly used by most teachers? What will be the catalyst for this adoption? What technology will take the longest time to adopt?
A: In my observations of working with teachers I have observed some trends. Most teachers that are heavy users of Web 2.0 tools evolved in their use of these tools. In the beginning they primarily experiment with blogs, social bookmarking, podcasting (listening, using RSS feeds, podcasting). Then they might evolve to Google Docs and wikis. Next they might experiment with instant messaging, social networks and almost real time blogging tools like twitter.
I think this is because each of these stages in uses of Web 2.0 tools shows a shift in communication patterns moving from more linear tools to more non-linear collaborative forms of communication. For example, blogs and podcasts are typically primarily authored by one person and pushed out to the universe. Others can comment on a blog, but the primary author gets to determine the direction and content. Each stage gets more and more collaborative, participatory, and non-linear.
As far as how long it will take- I believe the adoption of new technologies is an evolutionary process and that the conditions need to be right for a new technology to take hold- so it can be different in every school environment. Catalysts that will move it forward are when teachers have time to share and explore new technologies together in non-formal ways. Also a supportive leadership team is important. Barriers would include things like political barriers- Strong emphasis on standardized tests scores- because these tests emphasize traditional literacies- not 21st Century skills, media literacy, and written communication. Another barrier could be an IT Department which is unwilling to explore options for opening up networks for these things to occur because of fears about security. Another barrier is outdated district policies that were written before the emergence of these types of technologies were prevalent in schools that ban their use.
Q: Of the following Web 2.0 technologies; Wiki, Blog, RSS Feed/Aggregators, Social Bookmarking, and Podcasting, which one do you think will have the biggest impact on student achievement?
A: I think this is dependent upon how you define student achievement. If you solely define student achievement as standardized test scores these may not be the best tools to use. However, if expand your definition to include improving student writing , use of 21st Century Skills and use of higher order thinking skills and longer retention of concepts (in other words deeper understand of the curriculum beyond what is tested) these tools can have a huge impact. For example, a student could keep a blog of their understanding of science concepts being studied over the year and the teacher and other students could comment, a teacher could organize useful website on a social-bookmarking site and make that available to students to expand upon resources available in the text book, a teacher could gather podcasts to help students with special needs so they could listen to content at their own pace instead of solely reading information.
Comparing these tools in terms of impact of student achievement seems a little odd to me. They are tools and their use is teacher dependent. It depends on how well the teacher integrates them into the teaching and learning process and one is not better than another. It would be like asking which has the greater potential to improve student achievement- the pencil, the blackboard or the overhead projector?
Q: Web 2.0 technologies focus on social & collaborative tools. How do you think these technologies will impact how we assess students on an individual basis when so much will be done collaboratively?
A: We will need to develop new or alternative models of assessment. Many of these tools (blogs, wikis, Google Docs) have ways of tracking who did what which actually makes them more accountable than collaborative projects we may have done in the past (i.e. a group written report). I also believe in peer evaluation. For example, at our recent digital media conference at the end of the conference we had everyone rate how well the peers in their group did at emulating 21st Century skills (things like adaptability, flexibility, ability to work productively in a group). This was part of their grade. The number one killer application in business today is collaboration. As globalization continues, our students need to learn how to collaborate not only in face-to-face situations, but also virtually if they are going to be able to compete in this new emerging world wide economy.
Q: What drawbacks or negative implications do you see in using Web 2.0 technologies in education? Are the “potholes” we should avoid?
A: Student safety is important. So is ethical use of media- meaning copyright and fair-use. So is the ability to evaluate credibility and reliability of information in these types of media. Often these issues are brought up as reasons to ban these tools. I don’t think banning is not the correct answer- education of all stakeholders is. There needs to be well written policies that protect students at the district level- things like use of student names, pictures and identities need to be addressed and protected and these policies need to be widely communicated and enforced. Because these new types of media are evolving so fast, it is hard for educators to keep up. Copyright and fair-use are things that need constant attention. Giving teachers tips and examples in easily digestible formats in critical- as well as talking about it often and making it part of the assessment process and designing lessons that foster higher order original thinking and discourage plagiarism are important. Probably the most important thing is that students need is to become good consumers of information and be able to evaluate whether something on the web is credible or reliable. We often say that the younger generation knows everything about technology- but they really don’t. We need to teach them these new media literacy skills. That’s another reason why use of these tools is important, and that their use should not be something that happens solely outside of school.
Another pothole I see coming is the lack of bandwidth in our schools. As these tools emerge and evolve they have powerful implications for education. However, if we don’t build infrastructures that have the capacity to deliver what we need, we won’t be able to effectively use these tools with students. With declining budgets, I see more and more school districts that are not keeping up with where they need to be bandwidth-wise for the 21st Century. It is becoming a crisis and we are falling behind many other countries in this area.
Q: Of the following Web 2.0 technologies; Wiki, Blog, RSS Feed/Aggregators, Social Bookmarking, and Podcasting, which one do you think will be embraced most quickly by teachers? How long do think it will take for this technology to become a tool commonly used by most teachers? What will be the catalyst for this adoption? What technology will take the longest time to adopt?
A: In my observations of working with teachers I have observed some trends. Most teachers that are heavy users of Web 2.0 tools evolved in their use of these tools. In the beginning they primarily experiment with blogs, social bookmarking, podcasting (listening, using RSS feeds, podcasting). Then they might evolve to Google Docs and wikis. Next they might experiment with instant messaging, social networks and almost real time blogging tools like twitter.
I think this is because each of these stages in uses of Web 2.0 tools shows a shift in communication patterns moving from more linear tools to more non-linear collaborative forms of communication. For example, blogs and podcasts are typically primarily authored by one person and pushed out to the universe. Others can comment on a blog, but the primary author gets to determine the direction and content. Each stage gets more and more collaborative, participatory, and non-linear.
As far as how long it will take- I believe the adoption of new technologies is an evolutionary process and that the conditions need to be right for a new technology to take hold- so it can be different in every school environment. Catalysts that will move it forward are when teachers have time to share and explore new technologies together in non-formal ways. Also a supportive leadership team is important. Barriers would include things like political barriers- Strong emphasis on standardized tests scores- because these tests emphasize traditional literacies- not 21st Century skills, media literacy, and written communication. Another barrier could be an IT Department which is unwilling to explore options for opening up networks for these things to occur because of fears about security. Another barrier is outdated district policies that were written before the emergence of these types of technologies were prevalent in schools that ban their use.
Q: Of the following Web 2.0 technologies; Wiki, Blog, RSS Feed/Aggregators, Social Bookmarking, and Podcasting, which one do you think will have the biggest impact on student achievement?
A: I think this is dependent upon how you define student achievement. If you solely define student achievement as standardized test scores these may not be the best tools to use. However, if expand your definition to include improving student writing , use of 21st Century Skills and use of higher order thinking skills and longer retention of concepts (in other words deeper understand of the curriculum beyond what is tested) these tools can have a huge impact. For example, a student could keep a blog of their understanding of science concepts being studied over the year and the teacher and other students could comment, a teacher could organize useful website on a social-bookmarking site and make that available to students to expand upon resources available in the text book, a teacher could gather podcasts to help students with special needs so they could listen to content at their own pace instead of solely reading information.
Comparing these tools in terms of impact of student achievement seems a little odd to me. They are tools and their use is teacher dependent. It depends on how well the teacher integrates them into the teaching and learning process and one is not better than another. It would be like asking which has the greater potential to improve student achievement- the pencil, the blackboard or the overhead projector?
Q: Web 2.0 technologies focus on social & collaborative tools. How do you think these technologies will impact how we assess students on an individual basis when so much will be done collaboratively?
A: We will need to develop new or alternative models of assessment. Many of these tools (blogs, wikis, Google Docs) have ways of tracking who did what which actually makes them more accountable than collaborative projects we may have done in the past (i.e. a group written report). I also believe in peer evaluation. For example, at our recent digital media conference at the end of the conference we had everyone rate how well the peers in their group did at emulating 21st Century skills (things like adaptability, flexibility, ability to work productively in a group). This was part of their grade. The number one killer application in business today is collaboration. As globalization continues, our students need to learn how to collaborate not only in face-to-face situations, but also virtually if they are going to be able to compete in this new emerging world wide economy.
Q: What drawbacks or negative implications do you see in using Web 2.0 technologies in education? Are the “potholes” we should avoid?
A: Student safety is important. So is ethical use of media- meaning copyright and fair-use. So is the ability to evaluate credibility and reliability of information in these types of media. Often these issues are brought up as reasons to ban these tools. I don’t think banning is not the correct answer- education of all stakeholders is. There needs to be well written policies that protect students at the district level- things like use of student names, pictures and identities need to be addressed and protected and these policies need to be widely communicated and enforced. Because these new types of media are evolving so fast, it is hard for educators to keep up. Copyright and fair-use are things that need constant attention. Giving teachers tips and examples in easily digestible formats in critical- as well as talking about it often and making it part of the assessment process and designing lessons that foster higher order original thinking and discourage plagiarism are important. Probably the most important thing is that students need is to become good consumers of information and be able to evaluate whether something on the web is credible or reliable. We often say that the younger generation knows everything about technology- but they really don’t. We need to teach them these new media literacy skills. That’s another reason why use of these tools is important, and that their use should not be something that happens solely outside of school.
Another pothole I see coming is the lack of bandwidth in our schools. As these tools emerge and evolve they have powerful implications for education. However, if we don’t build infrastructures that have the capacity to deliver what we need, we won’t be able to effectively use these tools with students. With declining budgets, I see more and more school districts that are not keeping up with where they need to be bandwidth-wise for the 21st Century. It is becoming a crisis and we are falling behind many other countries in this area.
Aug 6, 2008
Celebrate!
I truly believe we don't take enough time to celebrate our successes in education. Last week we had our second annual Milwaukee Digital Media Course. Participants made wikis around an exhibit at the Milwaukee County Zoo. We as instructors were blown away by what they produced. We are so proud at how much was accomplished through the power of us (meaning the participants collaborative efforts). You can view their wikis at http://mdmc2008.wikispaces.com/Directory
Aug 5, 2008
MDMC Article
The Milwaukee Journal had an article on the Milwaukee Digital Media Conference at http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=779634
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