episode 1
Posted on October 23rd, 2008 by cthompson0168
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This is a test of a video blog style system.
Posted on October 23rd, 2008 by cthompson0168
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School 2.0
Posted on August 15th, 2008 by cthompson0168
Whether you like the 2.0 moniker that has been attached to new web technologies, it seems here to stay. In fact, the 2.0 descriptor has become the buzz word in many areas beyond the web. It basically means the next generation. As we look at the new web technologies and teaching and learning in the 21st century, we realize we are entering the next generation in schools as well. I prefer to think top-down. I like to call it Graduate 2.0. We need to first think about our graduates and what they need to be able to do. Our graduates’ needs will determine the structure of our schools and that in turn will create the modern student experience. So, what is a Graduate 2.0.
According to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, the skills we need to be teaching include the following:
• Information, media literacy, and communication skills
• Thinking and problem-solving
• Interpersonal, collaborative, and self-direction skills
•Global awareness
• Economic and business literacy, including entrepreneurial skills
• Civic literacy
“We can look at these 21st-century skills as an extension of efforts that date as far back as John Dewey at the turn of the previous century. Learning by doing was a core theme of John Dewey’s work . . . . We don’t want to teach our students about science, we want them to become scientists. They can collect data themselves, analyze the results using sophisticated techniques, present their results, and discuss these results with experts from around the world-all within the confines of their desks” (Regan, 2008).
What I find more interesting is to go to the real source of what graduates need in the 21st century and that is employers. In the report presented to Congress last year entitled “Are They Ready to Work” even college graduates received low ratings for lacking necessary 21st century skills. “Less than 30 percent of employers rated them (college graduates) as “excellent” in skills that those companies say will become more important over the next five years-critical thinking, teamwork, creativity and diversity. About 46 percent deemed them exceptional in applied information technology” (Schoeff, 2007).
We are all talking about the same needs here. Quite simply, we need schools that let students learn by doing with technology as their main tool of inquiry. The very nature of that simple statement implies that students are engaged collaboratively, learning to communicate, and problem solving. From there we can incorporate lessons that teach citizenship, economics, global awareness, and most of all emphasize communication: both verbal and written.
I’m a forest guy. I want to keep things broad in perspective in my mind. That perspective also allows a lot of flexibility in terms of direction. If we focus on the trees, we’ll be overwhelmed with the individual tasks at hand in order to move this massive institution we call education.
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Social Networking and Education. . .
Posted on August 5th, 2008 by cthompson0168
. . . and nary the two shall meet. First off, educators are fearful to use sites like MySpace or Facebook in the classroom because of safety concerns. There are ways to handle this through class rules, teacher controls, and safe networking sites. “So-called “safe” social networking sites, such as Whyville.net and Imbee.com, hope to limit the dangers that can accompany sites like MySpace, such as talking to internet predators and revealing too many personal details” (Ascione, 2006).
If safe networking sites can be used or created, the next step is to figure out just what this technology can be used for in the classroom. The fact is students find Facebook and MySpace fun because they use it to socialize. They are just hanging out in a virtual environment. So, are there classroom activities that lend themselves to that type of learning? I could see using social networking for a literature circle or book club type of activity. I found a discussion group of English teachers is having this very debate at enotes.com. The vast majority think it is just too risky.
Another type of social network site involves virtual environments like Second Life and the aforementioned Whyville.net. The learning curve in these environments is especially large and I really have found little or no academic application. Much of these environments students will spend their time on menial tasks, like playing cards. Furthermore, the teacher will have no control over content of the site. Teachers might be better off using virtual environments that are educationally focused and designed to enhance content, like the virtual biology labs found at the HHMI.
For me, there seems to be a disconnect between social networks and the classroom. It doesn’t mean that things won’t change the technology should be ignored, for it is powerful. I agree with Jerome Monahan who writes on guardian.co.uk, “That is not to say that we are not very conscious of the need to look at what fires children’s enthusiasm and how they prefer to learn. Social networking sites, positively used, offer young people a simple means of publishing their work and engaging in online discussion and debate.”
I do believe we need to motivate students through technology. But the act of publishing and engaging in online debate may be better accomplished through blogging and discussion forums.
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Wikipedia as a Learning Opportunity in Information Literacy
Posted on July 31st, 2008 by cthompson0168
Wikipedia is now one of the most viewed websites in the world. When your students conduct online research it will inevitably come up. Since Wikipedia is open for editing by anyone, can you really trust it? Many teachers do not and tell their students to steer clear of it. However, Wikipedia is not going away and there may be a better way to handle it.
Andy Carvin, of National Public Radio, wrote an article on his site in 2005 entitled: “Turning Wikipedia Into an Asset for Schools.” I encourage you to read it. Much of what he writes, I couldn’t agree with more. First off, some articles are written better and provide references for their information. That right there is a skill for your students to determine what looks legitimate and what does not. For those articles that look worthwhile, your students need to verify the information through multiple sources. That’s a 21st century skill. And the real fun begins when your students find inaccuracies and join the Wikipedia community to correct the errors. In this article, Mr. Carvin writes, “They go to the entry’s talk page and present their findings, laying out every idea that needs to be corrected. Then, they edit the actual entry to make the corrections, with all sources cited . . . Get enough classrooms doing this, you kill several birds with one stone: Wikipedia’s information gets better, students help give back to the Net by improving the accuracy of an important online resource, and teachers have a way to make lemons into lemonade, turning Wikipedia from a questionable information source to a powerful tool for information literacy.”
I encourage you to rethink Wikipedia and how you teach information literacy. These are the skills our students need now more than ever.
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Blogging in the Classroom
Posted on July 21st, 2008 by cthompson0168
First off, teachers, what is a blog? The term blog is a shortened version of web log. A web log is simply an online journal. And perhaps in the beginning that’s all you will use it for, but there is much more you and your students can do. “Blogs are useful teaching and learning tools because they provide a space for students to reflect and publish their thoughts and understandings. And because blogs can be commented on, they provide opportunities for feedback and potential scaffolding of new ideas. Blogs also feature hyperlinks, which help students begin to understand the relational and contextual basis of knowledge, knowledge construction and meaning making” (Ferdig & Trammell, 2004). With blogs students become publishers of authentic academic material. They can create and take ownership of their own little corner of the web, construct their own content, and reach out to their fellow classmates and the world.
Blogs easily allow for teachers to make comments on students’ work and for students to make corrections. Blogs also keep an archive of entries, so you and your students can see how their writing has progressed over time. Many teachers are already using a blog as a class webpage or having their students use blogs for class assignments. A simple online search will show you just how many blogs are out there. Are you ready to join the millions already out there in the blogosphere?
Blogs can be used in every subject. There is always something to write and reflect on. The Constructivist theory says, “The learners, rather than the teacher are responsible for defending, proving, justifying, and communicating their ideas to the classroom community and the community at large. Time is considered an adaptable resource not a confining obstacle” (Reilly, 2008). That is at the heart of blogs. And, by the way, I found that in a blog!
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