Sharing Our Learning

There were so many great blog posts written this week that it was easy to find them, but hard to choose which ones to share:

1. The Benefit and Danger of Education Technology - Educational technology is something that has been a major part of schools, but we are seeing it (as it should be) becoming just a part of our classrooms.  This article from Edudemic offers some of the positives and negatives of technology, but I am not sure how I feel about them.  For example, they talk about the eroding skills of cursive, which makes sense if we are using technology more in the room, but is this necessarily a bad thing or is there just some nostalgia around the practice?  In my life, I use cursive to write cards and sign my name.  That’s it.  On the other hand, I use technology all of the time, as most people do. Should we practice it a substantial amount of time in class if we don’t use it on our own lives?  If we don’t use it much now, how much do we think our kids will?Below are some quotes from the article.

- One of the most positive results of schools embracing new technologies is found when low-income students gain skills they otherwise wouldn’t. The ability to type, use email and execute basic computer functions like Word and Excel are imperative in today’s workforce. When students who have no access to computers at home learn these skills specifically because of technology in the classroom, they have a far greater chance of moving from have-nots to haves in the future. Having technological competence gives them a better chance of success in the workforce and gives them a greater ability and confidence to pursue online education university options.

- There are some arguably negative implications to the adoption of new technologies as well. Some of the most evident for the short term involve dropping long-standing handwriting requirements. Penmanship was dropped from most English classes over the last twenty years and cursive writing requirements are quickly being cut from many programs as well. Depending on one’s perspective, not learning cursive in elementary school may not be the end of the world academically speaking. But advocates of teaching cursive argue that losing cursive is just one more case of technology eroding academic rigor.

2. LEARN – UNLEARN – RELEARN! - A great post by Stephen Kennedy talking about the “change” factor in his own school and how as society, we go through it all the time, yet this is not necessarily reflected in schools.  I appreciate the connections Stephen makes to his own school as there is definitely power in sharing your own personal connections and stories to the evolving landscape of Twitter.  Check out some of the quotes below.

- But think about changes in your own life: our children growing up, our own parents aging, moves to other cities, job changes, illnesses. Wars, political leaders, religious conflicts. Consider the ups and downs of the economy and the impact on your family. Gas and grocery prices rising, electronics prices dropping, the cost of raising triplets!…Somehow through the plethora of changes that surround and engulf us – we expect school to stay constant, to remain immune to world forces, to be almost outside of time.To be blunt about it, that kind of constancy does a disservice to children, because it is blind to reality.

- The deep traditions that Trinity holds to are different, and indeed lasting: respect, character, responsibility, integrity, and more. Certainly reading, writing, calculating, and basic skills are a must. But when education practices remain conventional solely because “we’ve always done it that way,” children are the ones paying the price. We may think our own education was good enough because we’re successful as adults. Look at the job market, however, the grimly competitive nature of college admissions, the kind of innovative thinking required in international corporations or small start-up companies. The world has moved on, and will keep on doing so.

3. Stop Saying “Rigor” | Ideas and Thoughts - Dean Shareski talks about the word “Rigor” (both in writing and through the accompanying podcast on his blog) and how it is misused in education while also not embodying the opportunity we want our students to have to be able to be creative and explore in the classroom.  Although the post is extremely interesting, it is the conversation in the comments that shows you how blogging can be extremely beneficial both reflection and conversation.  Dean’s post was initially a reaction to this first post, and then spurred on another post.  Whatever side you agree with, I think for me, there is such power in the conversations that blogging spurs with educators that just want to be the best for kids.

Have a great week!

cc licensed ( BY NC SD ) flickr photo shared by Clint Hamada

Here are some interesting articles that I have found this week:

1.   Using Twitter in High School Classrooms - This post by Bill Ferriteris a great example of how some high school classrooms can use Twitter to not only improve their learning, but can also learn how to be active participants in their world.  His quote below shows how our students can have more of a voice in the democratic process:

“If we are going to prepare our students to be effective participants in this changing political landscape, shouldn’t we be showing them how to hunt down candidates for elected office in social spaces—both to learn more about positions AND to ask a whole lot of questions?That’s exactly what Jeremy Reid is teaching his Grade 11 social studies students, who have used a classroom Twitter account to reach out to candidates in local elections. Think about that for a second, would you?Social media spaces—which are students are drawn to already—have made interacting with politicians and their ideas easier.”

Take the time to read this and think of the ways that you can implement Twitter, which many students are already on, to help them build not only a positive digital footprint, but also help them to take leadership within their community as well as the world.

2. Social Media Policy – YouTube - The Department of Justice in Victoria, Australia, made this video to help their employees understand their roles and responsibilities in using social media.  This could be a great video to discuss with students and/or staff and some of the implications of what is being said.

One of the quotes, at about 2:34 in the video, really caught my attention:

“If it’s clear who you work for, be clear that your views are your own”.

The reason I was interested in what was said here was in education, is this different?  I believe that as educators, we are teachers 100% of the time and expressing certain views may be perceived in a negative way.  This is not to say that you are not entitled to your own opinions and beliefs, but, as stated in the video, there is a different blur between our “private and professional” lives when using social media, which is usually a public forum. We are entitled to our own views, but I don’t think by stating that it absolves educators of their responsibility, and sometimes consequences of things that expressing these views may bring.  The “blur” makes it more complicated.  I would love your thoughts on that portion of the video or anything else. (Check it out below)

3. Cyberbullying: The Power and Peril of Anonymity -This article gives some interesting ways that we can work with our children in social media spaces to guide them along their journey, but also give them some space to explore as well.  There are a few interesting quotes in the article below:

- Hawkins seconded that, insisting that the best way to intervene in cyberbullying at school or at home is not to insist on shutting access to social networking, but to be more present in students’ digital world.

- Rosalind Moore, a parent of two teenagers, said she does her best to do that, while at the same time respecting her children’s digital space and refusing to ask for things such as their Facebook passwords, in part because she thinks it’s counter-intuitive.

“They give you the password, then they go and create another identity with a different password,” Moore said. “You think you’re monitoring this password, and then it’s not really the truth.”

Any thoughts on the articles above?  As always, I am hoping that they are not only used as resources to help further our own teaching and learning practices, but also give you something to think about.  Comments are always welcome.

Have a great week!

cc licensed ( BY NC SD ) flickr photo shared by gcouros

As always, I am finding some interesting content through the connections created on social media that I am hoping I could share with you.  Please take a look at the blogs listed below for an expansion in content:

1.  Cell Phones in The Spotlight - Parkland School Division teacher Luke English recently asked his students about the use of cell phones in the classroom and their feedback.  Blogs are a fantastic tool to get feedback from your students and to have some critical conversation, but what was interesting was the expertise that came into the classroom from outside of the classroom.  Although this is a very new component to Luke’s class, and many students started off by discussing using mobile devices as calculators or to text the teacher, some of the responses from others was highly invaluable.  In fact, one teacher from a different school took the discussion to his own class and summarized their responses.  Here is a snippet from that conversation:

5. Above all, I believe the use of a smart phone for educational purposes is an opportunity for teachers not only to instruct students on proper use of a smart phone, but it could also be a way for the students to teach older generations (teachers mostly) about the use of these newer devices. It would be a learning opportunity for both the student and teacher.

Blogs are such a great way to bring innovation from outside of the classroom and tap into expertise all around the world.  This blog post is just another great example of that.  You can also check out Luke’s blog post on “Blogging in the Classroom” to see how his own thought process has progressed.

2.  Twitter ; A Teaching and Learning Tool – Tom Barrett shares this very comprehensive look at how Twitter could be used in teaching and learning and goes through several aspects of tapping into this social network.  Although this is longer than many typical blog posts, it is great guide for new people who to Twitter who see it as a “Facebook Status Update” tool.   Here is a great quote from his post:

When you plan to involve your network in teaching and learning in your classroom it is basically inviting individuals to offer their voice to what you do. Twitter is all about communication, so when thinking of what you will get from Twitter for your lessons – conversation is the currency.

If you are not on Twitter, this might be a great start.  If you are on Twitter, this might be a great resource to share with your colleagues that are not.

3.  At a Crossroads – Shelly Wright, who is probably my favourite blogger, talks openly about her change in the view of teaching and learning, especially with high school students who have been conditioned to the “traditional” model of education.  Her blog is fantastic as it is an open and honest reflection not only of the successes she has had, but also her struggles as well.  In her latest post, Shelly shows her passion for her students making a true difference in the world:

What do I mean by that?  Learning about great individuals who chose to make a difference in the world, but not doing anything like that ourselves.  Learning content and skills to jump through the hoops we call a secondary education, creating assignments that only I’ll ever see — an education that has little current impact on the world outside our four walls.  It’s the way a large part of our North American school system currently functions…I want my students to make a difference in this world, for them to use their voices and talents now, rather than waiting for some future date, after they leave high school.

We do our best to connect learning to the real world, but Shelly recognizes that school for kids is the real world.  What are we going to do with that?

4.  BONUS*** Lego QR Code - My good friend Royan Lee shared the work of one of his students and it is absolutely amazing.  It just shows that if you create an environment where students can be innovative, they will most likely be innovative.  Check it out!

Have a great week!

cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by jenn.davis

In my opportunities to visit schools, I was very fortunate to visit Millgrove and Brookwood this last week.  It was amazing to walk around and feel the warmth and caring of the schools, especially to see how this transferred to the kids.  They were all so welcoming and were very kind to a guest in their school.  The great thing about this is that I am feeling the same connection in every Parkland school.  We have such great teams of staff that are making a huge impact every single day.  Thank you all for your kindness.

Here are some links that I would love to share with you this week:

1.  The New York Times Learning Blog – This is not an article but a resource that can be used with students in the classroom to help facilitate some conversations and get them thinking critically about the world around them.  I have seen many teachers use this in a way to have students learn to write thoughtful comments or else for ideas to write in their own personal blogs.  If you look on the right of the site, you will see “Lesson Plans by Category” and you can have the students explore subject areas such as math, although these categories are easily cross-curricular. Although this is a great resource, it is most likely for those in grade 7 and above (the suggestion is for 13 years and older).  If you are exploring blogging with those ages, this is a great resource for students that may be stuck with a topic and can help the writing process along.

2. Global Learning the Primary Way – I have had the privilege of visiting Kathy Cassidy’s classroom last year and it was absolutely amazing watching her students use technology to connect with one another and share their learning.  While many would believe that grade 1 students were too young to have the ability to do this, Kathy has shown that by working with them and guiding them, their skills will improve exponentially in a short time.  While many are working with students to just “login” at that age, Kathy has them blogging and using Google Apps.  This is due in part to both her willingness to work with them and having access to the technology (Kathy had brought in her own computer as an extra for students as well as any other technology she could get her hands on).

Kathy is giving her students real opportunities and using the technology for them to actually have an understanding of the world outside of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, where the students reside:

“Just like their older counterparts, primary children love to connect with people from places around the world. Connections bring new perspectives, ideas, and learning in a way nothing else can. I could simply tell them that children everywhere on Earth play games and go to school just as they do, but when they are actually able to link with a class in Colorado or in New Zealand and ask questions themselves, the learning experience is much more powerful and lasting.”

Kathy’s ability to tap into her own Personal Learning Network showed the willingness of teachers around the world to work with students and help them make some amazing connections:

Our classroom blog is often the first way that we connect with people outside of our school. This year, each child posted an article in their individual blog space during the first week of school. To show them the connections that their blog could bring them, I invited people in my Twitter network to comment on one of the student’s blogs and mention their location. In my tweet, I included the hashtag#comments4kids.

You should definitely read the rest of the post to see some of the amazing things Kathy does with her students using her network.  It definitely takes patience but Kathy shows it is possible.

3.  Exploring Blogs During Silent Reading – Bill Ferriter is one of my favourite bloggers as he talks about school leadership while also sharing some great ideas that he is testing out in his classroom.  He is a true instructional leader.  In this post, Bill openly discusses the ideas of having students reading blog posts during silent reading time, while also commenting on other’s ideas as well:

The only rule that I’ll set is that if a student is reading online, he’s got to leave at least one comment on content that he’s reading.  The way I see it, I want to encourage kids to interact—both with the ideas and individuals that they’re exploring.

That’s the real beauty of blogs after all:  It’s not just reading.  It’s reading together.  It’s pushing back.  It’s challenging and being challenged all at once.

Not only does he share the idea, but he also shares some of the blogs and content that he shares with students using a NetVibes account.  This may be something that is rotated with kids if you do not have access to a significant amount of technology, but this is a great way to work with kids to also understand how to positively contribute and/or challenge some blogs.  This is not something that students need to be doing everyday as there is definite value in the practice of silent reading offline, but this interaction is also another way of promoting literacy.

I am continuously amazed by the content that is shared every week by teachers around the world to help make our classrooms better.  Hopefully there is something in these posts that will help you students

cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by Kati.Rodrigues