Learning and Changing

[Beth Still]

I have had a lot on my mind lately, but one thing that I keep coming back to has to do with Web 2.0 and its use (or lack of use) in classrooms. A year ago I had no idea what a wiki was. I had never heard of Nings or VoiceThread or GoogleDocs. I had a vague idea about blogs, but no idea that the blog I was using (Elgg) was essentially inside of a walled garden.

In February of 2008 I attended a session on Web 2.0 tools. Howie DiBlasi was the presenter. That six hours changed my life! Two things stuck with me from that day. First, he talked about the importance of being "the one in ten." In a nutshell, only one in ten educators is truly dedicated enough to change the world. I think these people are also called the innovators. The second thing he did was show a PowerPoint called "Shift Happens." Something about the powerful message Mr. DiBlasi said that day resonated on a very deep level with me.

This has led me to wonder what makes me different than the people who are the "laggards." Chances are if you are reading this then you are an innovator as well. How do we get our colleagues to join us on spaces like this and Twitter and other places where we network?

[Dick Meyer]

Good post Beth! Check out the following article on Social Media Classrooms. Be sure to watch the video clip in the article. I think you'll find it interesting. - Dick

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_social_media_classroom_a_n...

[Dick Meyer]

Looks like they took the video clip out of the article. But, it's an interesting article anyway. - Dick

[Beth Still]

The video is still there. I watched it late last night.........fascinating stuff. I will check into it more. Right now my students use some of these tools, but they are not centralized. Reminding them of where to go takes so long! Having their blog, chat, RSS, etc., in one location would be so helpful. I am surprised that I had never heard anyone talk about the Social Media Classroom project before. It seems so promising. Do any of the teachers in Kearney use it?

Dick Meyer said:

Looks like they took the video clip out of the article. But, it's an interesting article anyway. - Dick

[Dick Meyer]

Not to the extent described in the article. We do have teachers using blogs, wikis, and sharing content through course management software. Many of the ideas expressed in the article are similar to what we have been thinking about how we use technology to enhance and support teaching and learning in the classroom.

[Ann E Darling]

I invited my principal who is not really tech literate (does email) to become a member of my class ning for multimedia. He has checked the ning a few times, however I will encourage him to comment on student work posted that he likes. I'm hoping this will be a positive but am not sure wether the kids will like adults looking into "thier world". It might reduce the temptation to flame each other in posts so, for now its a positive. Any audience is a good audience right?

So in reply to your question I think it is important to encourage others to participate because "its good for the students" and they are helping us out just by looking in. Some may take the plunge but others may just lurk for awhile which is ok too.

[Beth Still]

Lurking is OK to a degree. The teachers that I am concerned about are the ones who completely lack the vision to see where technology can take us. I am not trying to say that technology is "the" answer to solving problems in education, but when paired with good teaching I think it can make a difference.

This post by Karl Fisch is offensive to teachers who have not yet decided to stop lurking and join the party so to speak. It is fascinating to see how he compares being technologically illiterate to not being able to read.


Ann E Darling said:

I invited my principal who is not really tech literate (does email) to become a member of my class ning for multimedia. He has checked the ning a few times, however I will encourage him to comment on student work posted that he likes. I'm hoping this will be a positive but am not sure wether the kids will like adults looking into "thier world". It might reduce the temptation to flame each other in posts so, for now its a positive. Any audience is a good audience right?

So in reply to your question I think it is important to encourage others to participate because "its good for the students" and they are helping us out just by looking in. Some may take the plunge but others may just lurk for awhile which is ok too.

[Josh Allen]

At METC Brad Fountain from DEN talked about the school he is in in North Carolina and talked about their process of moving toward a paperless community: "Here's where we're going. Here's how we're going to get there. You're more than welcome to come with us. If not, there's the door." Harsh? Yep, but sometimes it's needed. It's a phrase that can be used for any sort of change. Harder to push that line if you can't get an administrator to agree.