Welcome
Wisdom Begins in Wonder - Socrates
This blog originally was part of my learning experience in a graduate class on the networked classroom and now chronicles my experiences teaching high school computer applications and technology literacy.
Seimens describes a model for thinking about knowledge in a style that reflects his message. The text makes heavy use of graphics, lists, short paragraphs and other means of demonstrating that a module of information is integrated in the network. In the early days of workstations we said, “The network is the computer,” to explain that the power of the system was not in a single machine or server but in the combined resources of the network. This was a new way to think at the time. The theory described in the text is analogous. Knowledge is related. Once the connections are made, new and related connections are easier to make. We have cached in our memory some of the data necessary to make the next connection.
Historically, knowledge has been viewed as an object and learning as a product. On page 55, the author explains that this theory is inadequate and advises we think of knowledge as a process and allow the connections to create the structure. We should not create the connections to fit into our predetermined conception of the structure. Personally, I enjoy the journey and this fits my preference for viewing the learning process. I agree we should analyze knowledge through the network rather than through our individual experience. We tend to resist making changes to our foundational beliefs and rely on preconceived notions of the past. This barrier creates a one-way communication where we need a two-way dialog.
The official language here is Dutch and this is a " maken" which I hope means post. blogger apparently picks up where you are located in the world and adjusts the language which is a challenge because I am new to blogger and I do not understand Dutch. I am trying to post using the context clues as I am not yet able to change the language back to English.
Podcasting has great potential to allow student to learn in the context of his or her individual style and to take some control of their learning and teaching environment. I feel very strongly and the research validates that student learning is more effective when a student’s individual learning style is considered and when the student has the power to contribute as a teacher. A learner retains a small amount of what they are told, more of what they experience and most of what they teach others. Podcasts definitely provide an opportunity for students to express their individual creativity in learning and to teach which reinforces the new knowledge.
My first experience with podcasts was a little unnerving. I wanted the broadcast to be smooth and sound polished although I understood part of the charm of the podcast is its amateur quality. Some young people are confident and they may thrive in this environment while others, who are shy may need more encouragement to fully participate. In the same manner that blogs allow a quiet student who does not speak out in class to have a voice, the podcast can be used to give a student who is not comfortable speaking in front of a large audience a safe means of “performing” and being heard by others. This type of forum can be used to possibly alleviate the anxiety and increase a student’s confidence.
Practice made proficient. It took me a while to sign in and be comfortable with eluminate the first night and thinking I wanted to see what I missed and how much easier the tool is to use, I joined a session the second time and it was much easier. I try to capture the feelings I have as a novice to be able to relate to how the classroom teacher will feel when a new tool is introduced. I got right on and felt much more at ease and will be able to say from experience, I believe they will be able to get the hang of things quickly. It was odd to speak because you cannot see the audience to get a feeling for their reaction or know for sure if you are heard. I will want to be sure to give feedback to the speaker in the similar way that I do if I am in the room if someone is speaking to the general audience or me if no one else speaks up. I am also happy I joined tonight’s group because I now have better feel for what happens with different size audiences and a topic I will enjoy came up. I love children’s literature.
School 2.0
My first thought about School 2.0 is, what is the free version? You cannot do too much planning for technology transitions but you can spend too much time and money. We may have a Catch-22 where we need the product to do the planning to justify the cost and we need to justify the cost to buy the product. Tim Magner, the director in the office of educational technology in the Department of Education at a T & L conference in 2006 promotes School 2.0 as “a way for all the people involved with school to talk to each other about how they fit together and what schools should be.”
I am intrigued by Magner’s take on the way we need to look for a new model to fund education. He explains that we have funded specific programs but for success in the 21st century, we need to look across programs, schools and districts to meet educational goals. His analogy is the 19th and 20th century location dependent factory model versus the 21st century global interconnectedness where anyone can publish from anywhere. I agree we need to nurture the innovator in our students to remain competitive in the new world. Tom Friedman elaborated in more detail about the need to be an innovator in his book “The World is Flat.” This is a required read for all who wish to call themselves educators.
Information Commons
Hello muggles. Is there a midnight magic party tonight at your library?
Academic libraries are adopting a model they call information commons. The concept harkens back to the village commons, which was a common space, shared by the entire community. Everyone contributes and everyone benefits. The physical space should be designed to be open and inviting. Barriers between staff and patrons (or whatever you choose to be called) should be removed. Some librarians advocate walking around the library to demonstrate their availability to provide assistance. Seating areas should be conducive to working with a partner or partners to collaborate on a project. Space should be available for those who require quiet to meet their needs. Often the commons has a snack area for socializing. Also, there are comfortable chairs creating a parlor-like seating area for reading. The commons might contain exhibits, host movies, concerts or speakers. Of course, the commons includes access to information in electronic, paper and human form. Many libraries provided this type of atmosphere long before Borders and Barnes and Noble copied them.
A wiki can be a great tool for one or more classes to collaborate and create a magazine-like publication of their learning experiences. Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis provide an excellent model for implementing wikis in a classroom and sharing the experience across the world. As I consider using wikis, I wonder about how to approach students concerning policies without creating barriers to open communication. I notice both the flatclassroomproject and the horizon project have a code of ethics.
I believe the guidelines in the flatclassroomproject serve their community well in several ways. First, the title is code of ethics rather than rules and consequences. The expectation is mutual respect. Students are advised that this is a school project and the individual school rules apply. Next, students are told that this is a global project. Each student is encouraged toward excellence with the reminder that their work represents their school and their country. I think they have every reason to be very proud of their accomplishments. Also, there is an open door policy to contact your teacher with any questions or concerns. Finally, the teachers explain to the students that the site is monitored and add quickly that they know their students will exceed their expectations. I believe it is a good idea to remind students working on a wiki that many people they never would have anticipated are reading their work, now and in the future.
