Extending learning practices

I seem to be the sprinter in terms of blogging. I will have a time when it is meaningful for me and other times when it is not. In conversation with a colleague I have started to see that my blog is not a tool within my toolkit for my personal learning network. I use it as part of projects or ways to connect for a specific time frame. This is very similar to what many classroom teachers use blogging for. You will see blogs on 2008 Newbury Project or Online Discussion with NJ. These are single projects that allows you to be public with posts and comments but end when the project is over. Much as this blog just keeps going even though I am inconsistent, I would recommend teachers to keep a blog that allows these projects to develop history and become an ongoing location.
So this then asks the question am I truly an edublogger? Well the same colleague mentioned early (he's worth reading at his blog) mentioned his way of thinking about this. If you read blogs, you are a viewer. If you consistantly comment or write on blogs than you are a blogger. He sees that this idea really pushes our concept of the network being created within the blogosphere. It is not that you need to be the one with great ideas, but rather you need to engage with the community talking about issues in educational technology.
So the question is "Are you extending your practice by engaging with the conversation?" You don't have to keep posting, but I would challenge readers that you are not truly in a learning network if you are only reading...even if you are indeed coming away with good ideas. You need to engage to truly be developing that learning network.
Keep exploring....

Technology Literacy Assessment Tools

The idea that we need to assess the literacy of our students and teachers in terms of technology has been popped up every so often. Most recently the conversation has emerged because the annual reports actually include a question from the state on what a district is doing regarding this item. There are online assessment tools out there. The NY State Education Site (I am from NY after all) has some information. I just watched a demo from one of our service agencies who developed a tool for technology literacy assessment.
These are all well developed tools. My question is to the larger question: What are we truly assessing and why are we assessing it? I have a hard time spending a lot of time assessing if my 8th graders (or 8th grade teachers) know how to bold text, or save a file or file down a spreadsheet. What I really want to know is what can they do with this...and can they figure out how do what they need to do? It seems we are not assessing what is really important.
I am a big fan of the ideas and stances over at Gen Yes. They suggest that "students can take on much of the responsibility of demonstrating they possess these skills. Students do this by creating two projects that show they meet national technology standards. Including students as peer mentors and evaluators further reinforces this student-centered model."
My final question is: WHY ARE WE FOCUSING ON WORD ANYWAY. Why aren't we assessing the use of movie software or social networking or internet safety or.....there are aspects that are so much more important skills/strategies to be focused on.
More exploration to come.....
J:)

The way we learn...

I am never a big proponent of essentializing the way that people think and learn. However, we can say certain things about good learning (and teaching). We do not learn well under water without breathing equipment. (don't tell me that you are learning that you can't breathe underwater...that is a very quick lesson.)
There are more relevant ideas that we know about learning: It must be meaningful, it involves people, it is active, etc.
So my quote of the day: "Unfortunately, if human learning works best in a certain way, given the sorts of biological creatures we are, then it is not going to work well in another way just because educators, policymakers, and politicians want it to." (Gee, 2003, p. 68).
Or you can watch the presentation on How the Brain Works over at Darren's blog. The presenter says similar things but in a different way. Best line: "If we wanted to create the perfect opposite of what we know about how the brain works in education,it would look like the modern classroom"
Ouch...SO my goal- to start the conversations I am having in districts with: So what do we know we should be doing? Then how do we get there? This is very different than "What do you think we should do?" One is what should we do "in response to the current situation" The other is what should we be doing "in looking towards the future." I hope that with this being the focus of the conversation we will be able to move forward rather than just responding to what is.
Well, off for more exploring in the world of Learning, Identity and Technology.

The Dangerous Assumptions

Setting up the rant: In catching up on my blog reading (and now apparently writing) I ran into an interesting theme that I have been bouncing around in my head already. It is an underlying assumption in all our conversations on Web 2.0 and students. We are reducing all people under age...say 25 to Digital Natives.
Rant begins: Granted I have often talked about the way in which the society in which we live changes the way we think. Thus, that there are blogs and they are a part of modern conversation impacts how a person thinks. The less history a person has, the less they recognize that this Web 2.0 is 'new.' Thus, the whole idea of digital native emerges.
And sure there are many youth who have taken the idea of blogging and really done something with it: TakingITGlobal, Global Kids, Students20h and 25 Days to Make a Difference are all wonderful examples of this. Will Richardson suggests that these are the examples that we should be talking about (and I agree!!)
Yet the assumption that I have run into time and again (including today at a meeting) is that the students get it and if we just get out of their way they will use these tools in our classrooms to do what we want them to...Umm...no. Yet, we seem to think that because a student can learn a tool better than us they will utilize it in explicitly meaningful ways to us.
We Assume That

1. All students learn and interact best and most naturally in this digital world
2. If given the chance to use the 'tools of this generation' in the classroom students will do so to meet our goals and objectives
3. Using tool is the most important part of what they do with the tool

By making these assumptions, we do not foster an environment of creative exploration and learning. Will Richardson mentions this in his critique of The Dumbest Generation. It is even hitting the research circles (sorry to my fellow researchers for the slight..but we do tend to be a little slower on picking things up sometimes). The AERA (research association) just published an article on pre-service teacher's use of online forums, discussing the surprising results that students were not critical in their use of the forum. My question is: Why would they have been? Are we expecting spontaneous development of critical metacognition and deep reflection both on subject matter and themselves as learners just because they can easily post their thoughts? My second and more painful question: Do we recognize this critical thinking and reflection when it is happening...or do we see it as not aligned to our Curricular Objective?
Final Thought: The Web 2.0 (or as BrianC Smith is starting to say, social media) tools make it easier to _______________. We need to forget about the tools and the easier part and fill in the blank.
Or as I would type in one of my papers: Tools mediate the meaning making process...they do not make it meaningful...that's what people do.

Web 2.0 Online Course

I have been out podcasting and blogging in other spaces. Mainly I have been over in the Ning universe. This is a closed social networking site that some schools are using for classroom and school use.
I am now starting another journey with some colleagues in Monroe county. We are participating with the NY State Education Department through a Grant with the Federal DOE and AT&T who worked with EdTech Leaders Online, a non-profit organization, to create a Web 2.0 online course.
We are now going through this online course, with yours truly as the facilitator. I thought that over the next 6 weeks I will provide some view into not only what we are learning and discussing, but also some of my thinking as an online facilitator.
So a quick update from the course. We are introducing ourselves right now and here are some of the questions and ideas that have popped up so far:

• Many of us have heard about and seen Web 2.0 technologies, but few of us use them regularly either for our own professional growth or for classrooms
• Those that have used these tools for classrooms, the projects or use have not taken off very successfully
• Wide variety of skills and experiences from teachers and administrators mean that the connections between needs and use of the appropriate tools fall on a limited group of people.
• Everyone is excited about the connective power of this type of technology. Some have mentioned that local connections can be just as powerful as the global ones.

Well, this is where our conversation is right now. We will be starting the full course this Saturday with a discussion on the Read/Write web.
Happy exploring,
J:)

"we won't be raising our hands anymore..."

Another sign that the shift in teaching and learning is happening comes with the release of Student 2.0. Sighting a video introduction on this new website and concept on Will's post I went exploring.


Students 2.0 Launch Teaser from Sean on Vimeo.

I have to admit....I cheered. Sitting here in my office on a Sunday afternoon trying to plan out how to bring about this exact shift in my region and I realized that the shift is already happening. Students are not staying silent, waiting to be called on, invited in, etc anymore. Yes, for my pessimistic friends out there, I realize that this is a very small group to be suggesting that the world is changing...and yes I know others have been out there doing this already at Taking it Global, GlobalKids, and others.
It was the way they said it that hit me. They recognize that they have been the 'silent majority' and they are asking politely to be let into the conversation.
WOW....The world is ripe for the new ways of learning. People are starting to do it.
Its a very exciting time to be in education.
Keep exploring,
J:)

Preaching and Practice

*Beware- metaphor of Will as a Blogvangelist carried throughout this post* :)
*Second warning- Ranting to follow*
So, I am sitting here as just mentioned in my last post in a day of discussion around Web 2.0.
'Brother' Will just delivered his message on the shifting of the world due to technology and where we are in education. (or better to say where we are NOT).
He was 'preaching to the choir' and our many amens were heard.
He suggested that as we, the converted, helped to convert others eventually it will change education.
The real problem is that everyone is looking to someone else to get this started. Peter over on Ed Tech Journeys has also recognized the spinning of Ed Tech Blogs. So who is going to help the change truly happen?
It seems that the practices are what need to change, this is a tough process and should not be glossed over. BUT, the commitment has to be there too.
Perhaps we need to start creating models of real learning as Will is starting to do with his own kids.
Just a thought,
J : )