Yes, my son and daughter have been taken by Webkinz. My daughter had received one of these about a year ago and only recently, at my suggestion, activated it. The kids were sitting around the house looking for something to do. I had papers to write and was not much fun. Wanting to know more about this webkinz thing, I suggested that she give it a try. Hours later, both of the kids were still at work with the webkinz. Talk about a learning environment. Lave and Wenger talk about how all learning is situated. Well, this webkinz had situated my kids in a learning environment that would not let them go. My son, who is two years older, needed one of his own so now they both play with them online. They build rooms, buy stuff for their virtual pets, budget their money or at least, when they are running out of funds for purchasing things for their pets, play games for money or work virtually at baby sitting or other odd tasks online. It is almost an obsession.
"How many rooms so you have for your pet? How much money do you have? Have you played this game or that game?"
The most interesting thing is that I have not had to help them at all. The entire process of setting the account up to what you do when you are their was self directed. I was amazed. Oh, did I forget to mention, my daughter is 10 and my son almost 12. Now if only school was so engaging...
CB
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Friday, April 4, 2008
Music through the curriculum
This is great little article from techLearning that looks at the use of music throughout the curriculum. Music has always been a draw. There is something magnetic about music. Among the many things it can do, it makes you want to dance, dream, act, or sing. Music is universal and can cross all cultures and disciplines. Author, Folwell Dunbar, suggests 21 ways that you can use music in your existing curriculum. Here is the list of topics:
1. Collaboration
2. Cultural Studies
3. Direct Instruction
4. Fieldwork
5. Foreign Language
6. History and Current Events
7. Listening Skills
8. Math
9. Mood
10. Physical Education
11. Poetry
12. Public Speaking
13. Reading
14. Social Commentary
15. Soundtrack
16. Storytelling
17. Technology
18. Social Commentary
19. Trivia/Fun
20. Vocabulary
21. Writing Prompt
Explore these simple examples to start using music in your class.
1. Collaboration
2. Cultural Studies
3. Direct Instruction
4. Fieldwork
5. Foreign Language
6. History and Current Events
7. Listening Skills
8. Math
9. Mood
10. Physical Education
11. Poetry
12. Public Speaking
13. Reading
14. Social Commentary
15. Soundtrack
16. Storytelling
17. Technology
18. Social Commentary
19. Trivia/Fun
20. Vocabulary
21. Writing Prompt
Explore these simple examples to start using music in your class.
Friday, March 28, 2008
TxDLA
I just came back from the TxDLA conference in Galveston. What a great conference for me. It was interesting to see how people are approaching distributed learning across the state. This year there seemed to be more sessions on building community. This is encouraging as so many DL courses lack the sense of community. However, Gary Stager made a great point about how community must move beyond the basic exchanges. We need to get to the “Big” ideas. What are the “Big” ideas in a discipline? Conversation must get to where knowledge is constructed around these ideas. He stated that there is nothing new about collaboration- it has existed since the dawn of time. However, I would have to argue that there is something fundamentally different about collaboration today. That being the value we hold on collaboration. It is true that early hunters would have gone hungry without collaboration. However, collaboration is not something that was greatly valued in our society over the past hundred years or so. That is changing now. Well, changing everywhere except in schools. Collaboration is still woefully lacking in most educational programs. We need to value this more in education.
I also presented at TxDLA. This went very well. I presented a concept I had worked on earlier this year dealing with cognition and media/course design. The presentation was interactive and I believe it has helped me break through some writers block. I have some new ideas and observations to consider. There is nothing like the reflective process of presenting to help stimulate thought. Again, the social aspects of learning shine through.
The best part of the conference was getting to spend one on one time with Dr. Gary Stager and Alen November. We had some very interesting and engaging conversations.
I also presented at TxDLA. This went very well. I presented a concept I had worked on earlier this year dealing with cognition and media/course design. The presentation was interactive and I believe it has helped me break through some writers block. I have some new ideas and observations to consider. There is nothing like the reflective process of presenting to help stimulate thought. Again, the social aspects of learning shine through.
The best part of the conference was getting to spend one on one time with Dr. Gary Stager and Alen November. We had some very interesting and engaging conversations.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Schools- "We have got to ban that!"
This is indeed two different conversations. However, the response is indicative of the synergistic relationship between these two and the characteristics of schools to respond to change. The Ning site that is referenced is for collaboration between educators-professional development- and not for student interaction. For schools to respond that they are blocking social networks and that this Ning site will not be allowed through their filters, is evidence of supporting the need for continued dialogue on the nature of communication and technology in the 21st century. Each school should be able to “tune” their filters to allow specific traffic to pass. This is something that must happen on the IT side of the house but requires knowledgeable school management to know the possibilities. Usually, IT does not set this type of policy.
As for social networks in the educational environment, Ning and others provide several levels of ability to configure your network space. This means that the network can be wide open where anyone in the world can join or they can be closed so that you have to request permission to join the network. Again, education of school administrators and teachers is key. The problem is that professional development in schools is woefully lacking and when it comes to professional development surrounding issues of technology, it is even worse. Organizational change in schools is very complex. As we all realize, schools are traditionally resistant to change. Social networks and other web 2.0 tools represent change. They also represent a loss of control and schools like control.
Now when we look at the way schools make decisions, they are often based “in the moment” and can result in poor decisions. We are so quick to ban “things” we think are bad or dangerous without really taking the time to fully understand the nature of these “things”. I was amazed at the number of schools that were still trying to decide if they should grant their kids e-mail! We hear in the news all the “problems” with teens online-social networks, blogs, chat, IM etc. and we are quick to pass judgment. Block the social networks, don’t let the kids use blogs, deny them access to e-mail. The list goes on.
While we were at the AC in NY, news was being made in Dallas. A teacher at one of the Dallas independent schools was arrested on campus while he was engaged in a chat with an undercover police officer in another city. He was on campus on a school computer while school was in session. The nature of the conversation-solicitation of sex from a minor. Now was the computer the problem or was there another problem? Over the past several years, we have all read the stories about teachers who have had improper relationships with their students. Where is the call to ban teachers from the classrooms? Look at carpool. There are over 350,000 family abductions of a child in the U.S. each year (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children). How many of these are facilitated by carpool? When are we going to ban carpool?
These conversations remind me of the times when rock and roll was “evil”. They remind me of the Pool Hall of The Music Man. We fear what we don’t understand. This I believe is the actual problem. This fear of the unknown is the foundation of so many of our social ills. Lack of understanding of race, culture, religion and yes, web 2.0 tools and teens desire to connect in ways we never thought possible. Lack of understanding in these areas and others leads to fear and ultimately, poor judgment and resistance to change.
Bottom line, the need to educate our educators should be a top priority. Educational institutions should become communities of learning. Not just for the students but for all members of the community.
Well, this ended up being longer than I thought it would be. However, as you can tell, I have some passion on this topic.
As for social networks in the educational environment, Ning and others provide several levels of ability to configure your network space. This means that the network can be wide open where anyone in the world can join or they can be closed so that you have to request permission to join the network. Again, education of school administrators and teachers is key. The problem is that professional development in schools is woefully lacking and when it comes to professional development surrounding issues of technology, it is even worse. Organizational change in schools is very complex. As we all realize, schools are traditionally resistant to change. Social networks and other web 2.0 tools represent change. They also represent a loss of control and schools like control.
Now when we look at the way schools make decisions, they are often based “in the moment” and can result in poor decisions. We are so quick to ban “things” we think are bad or dangerous without really taking the time to fully understand the nature of these “things”. I was amazed at the number of schools that were still trying to decide if they should grant their kids e-mail! We hear in the news all the “problems” with teens online-social networks, blogs, chat, IM etc. and we are quick to pass judgment. Block the social networks, don’t let the kids use blogs, deny them access to e-mail. The list goes on.
While we were at the AC in NY, news was being made in Dallas. A teacher at one of the Dallas independent schools was arrested on campus while he was engaged in a chat with an undercover police officer in another city. He was on campus on a school computer while school was in session. The nature of the conversation-solicitation of sex from a minor. Now was the computer the problem or was there another problem? Over the past several years, we have all read the stories about teachers who have had improper relationships with their students. Where is the call to ban teachers from the classrooms? Look at carpool. There are over 350,000 family abductions of a child in the U.S. each year (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children). How many of these are facilitated by carpool? When are we going to ban carpool?
These conversations remind me of the times when rock and roll was “evil”. They remind me of the Pool Hall of The Music Man. We fear what we don’t understand. This I believe is the actual problem. This fear of the unknown is the foundation of so many of our social ills. Lack of understanding of race, culture, religion and yes, web 2.0 tools and teens desire to connect in ways we never thought possible. Lack of understanding in these areas and others leads to fear and ultimately, poor judgment and resistance to change.
Bottom line, the need to educate our educators should be a top priority. Educational institutions should become communities of learning. Not just for the students but for all members of the community.
Well, this ended up being longer than I thought it would be. However, as you can tell, I have some passion on this topic
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
How to change curriculum
The following is a response I sent to a request for help on how to change curriculum to meet 21st century needs. It is nice to know that the work on the Classrooms of the Future project is having such an effect. But we are still faced with the question on how to implement large scale change. This reflects some thinking out loud with many areas to jump off and research. I should explore this topic in greater depth.
While there is no doubt that curriculum must be revised to meet 21st century needs and ways of working and thinking, I feel the place to start is really at the level of pedagogy. Without significant shifts in the way we teach, there will be little in the effectiveness of learning. We need to learn how to do new things in new ways, not old things in new ways. We need to see the teacher become more of a learner-a master learner in the same sense that a master craftsman works with an apprentice. I have found these changes to be very difficult. I believe that it first requires the vision and leadership from the head to start the movement of change. It needs to be an expectation.
I would recommend a formalized program of professional development based in the practice of action research. This is where teachers systematically make changes in their practice. These changes are based on the literature and are planned changes. Data is collected and analyzed. The teacher then goes through several cycles of changes, each time evaluating the results of their new practice. If this is done in the area of new ways to develop deeper understanding in a social constructivist environment, then you will see change that matters.
Of course, there is also the matter of high-stakes testing. While we are independent schools, I believe that we release much of our curricular independence to a national curriculum-Advanced Placement. This is not a very popular stance to take. However, I have not seen anyone who could explain how making AP exams so important a way of remaining independent. In a way, AP is the independent school form of NCLB (IMHO). Our kids are creative. We see this in their private lives, online and elsewhere. Learning can be assessed through portfolios that follow students through a program. These can become an effective means of monitoring growth as well as showcasing student’s abilities.
Create opportunities for faculty to collaborate. Metaphorically open the doors of the classroom so that teachers and students have a free flow of knowledge between domains. This collaboration can fit into a formalized professional development program.
Think of this change as a process, not an event (Fullan, 2001). I would recommend the book by Fullan “Leaning in a Culture of Change”. It is an easy read with some great advice. It provides a great starting point for those who will “lead the charge”. Remember that you are changing 100 years or more of curriculum and practice. This will take time. Persistence and patience is a must. Keep a vision that is fresh and challenging. Keep a vision that is progressive and ground in theory. Don’t be afraid to be different.
I could go on. I suppose you can see that I have passion for this topic. It is not easy. I wish that I could say,” visit us and you will see the change you are looking for”. However, we are also on this journey. I have included a couple links to a news letter I produce here for our faculty. Some faculty really like it and look forward to each issue. Others wonder why a director of educational technology would spend so much time on pedagogy and learning theory (Why does Chris keep sending us this stuff?). I hope this helps in some small way. I would be happy to discuss this more if you would like.
Change in incremental. Keep moving forward toward a powerful vision.
While there is no doubt that curriculum must be revised to meet 21st century needs and ways of working and thinking, I feel the place to start is really at the level of pedagogy. Without significant shifts in the way we teach, there will be little in the effectiveness of learning. We need to learn how to do new things in new ways, not old things in new ways. We need to see the teacher become more of a learner-a master learner in the same sense that a master craftsman works with an apprentice. I have found these changes to be very difficult. I believe that it first requires the vision and leadership from the head to start the movement of change. It needs to be an expectation.
I would recommend a formalized program of professional development based in the practice of action research. This is where teachers systematically make changes in their practice. These changes are based on the literature and are planned changes. Data is collected and analyzed. The teacher then goes through several cycles of changes, each time evaluating the results of their new practice. If this is done in the area of new ways to develop deeper understanding in a social constructivist environment, then you will see change that matters.
Of course, there is also the matter of high-stakes testing. While we are independent schools, I believe that we release much of our curricular independence to a national curriculum-Advanced Placement. This is not a very popular stance to take. However, I have not seen anyone who could explain how making AP exams so important a way of remaining independent. In a way, AP is the independent school form of NCLB (IMHO). Our kids are creative. We see this in their private lives, online and elsewhere. Learning can be assessed through portfolios that follow students through a program. These can become an effective means of monitoring growth as well as showcasing student’s abilities.
Create opportunities for faculty to collaborate. Metaphorically open the doors of the classroom so that teachers and students have a free flow of knowledge between domains. This collaboration can fit into a formalized professional development program.
Think of this change as a process, not an event (Fullan, 2001). I would recommend the book by Fullan “Leaning in a Culture of Change”. It is an easy read with some great advice. It provides a great starting point for those who will “lead the charge”. Remember that you are changing 100 years or more of curriculum and practice. This will take time. Persistence and patience is a must. Keep a vision that is fresh and challenging. Keep a vision that is progressive and ground in theory. Don’t be afraid to be different.
I could go on. I suppose you can see that I have passion for this topic. It is not easy. I wish that I could say,” visit us and you will see the change you are looking for”. However, we are also on this journey. I have included a couple links to a news letter I produce here for our faculty. Some faculty really like it and look forward to each issue. Others wonder why a director of educational technology would spend so much time on pedagogy and learning theory (Why does Chris keep sending us this stuff?). I hope this helps in some small way. I would be happy to discuss this more if you would like.
Change in incremental. Keep moving forward toward a powerful vision.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Unypd- Gadget in Ning for Google Earth
This is too wild! I am still in New York and will leave early tomorrow morning. Taking time to explore more of Ning, I started to play with the gadgets. There is one called Unypd which is a 2D virtual world that overlays Google Earth. Sounds cool. So….I added it to my page and started to play. They I realized something very strange. Unypd knew I was in New York! In fact, it even knew I was in Midtown Manhattan! This adds an entirely new dimension to virtual worlds because the virtual world here mirrors the real world and has elements of geo-referenced data in real-time. There were about 8 others in the same space which means that I could chat with any of them in the virtual world yet they were also close in physical space! While a bit creepy, there might be some interesting educational possibilities with such a tool. Not accurate enough for navigation, you would not want to depend on this tool to find your way home. However, you could embed information about locations and then learners can both physically and virtually explore the space. They would start in the virtual world to get the overview and embedded information. This could then be followed with real-world exploration of the same space. Students could then go back to the virtual world and place data on the map based on what they saw in the real-world.
I will have to play with this more when I get home to an area I know better. It would be fun to develop a sample lesson using this tool. Perhaps- more on this down the road.
I will have to play with this more when I get home to an area I know better. It would be fun to develop a sample lesson using this tool. Perhaps- more on this down the road.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Class in SL
The more I think about Second Life in education, the more I don’t get it. We have this incredible environment that allows users to develop spaces that represent their understanding of reality. Yet, most classes in Second Life are glorified forms of the traditional class. Granted, there is a cost to building and a learning curve to working and moving around the space. This is a real obstacle to using SL in education in a meaningful way.
Most class spaces seem to be models of first world models- teacher centric. It was interesting that even when there is not a formal space defined for class, like our first journey into SL as a class, the class faced the direction of the teacher. We seem to be creatures of habit.
It was also interesting to see how everyone moved around the space. The ability to move comfortably around the space requires time and practice. While this may be the same in most online environments, it seems like SL is a more complex environment than most text based environments. Considering that most interactions in the space do not leverage the 3-D capabilities for education, it does not seem worth the time to learn the space for educational activities. This is especially true when you consider that there is already a shortage of time in most classrooms.
Now, if the environment could be simplified and if teachers were to take educational advantage of the 3-d capabilities, this might make a better online learning environment. It would be important to be able to correctly identify students in the space and limit access to learning spaces.
I believe, like the Horizon Report, that there is much value to be had in these environments. However, the tools need to improve and like most other technologies, we need to make radical changes in the ways we teach before we can leverage the capabilities of these technologies.
Most class spaces seem to be models of first world models- teacher centric. It was interesting that even when there is not a formal space defined for class, like our first journey into SL as a class, the class faced the direction of the teacher. We seem to be creatures of habit.
It was also interesting to see how everyone moved around the space. The ability to move comfortably around the space requires time and practice. While this may be the same in most online environments, it seems like SL is a more complex environment than most text based environments. Considering that most interactions in the space do not leverage the 3-D capabilities for education, it does not seem worth the time to learn the space for educational activities. This is especially true when you consider that there is already a shortage of time in most classrooms.
Now, if the environment could be simplified and if teachers were to take educational advantage of the 3-d capabilities, this might make a better online learning environment. It would be important to be able to correctly identify students in the space and limit access to learning spaces.
I believe, like the Horizon Report, that there is much value to be had in these environments. However, the tools need to improve and like most other technologies, we need to make radical changes in the ways we teach before we can leverage the capabilities of these technologies.
Monday, January 28, 2008
What a connected and “texting” world we living in…
Yesterday, while at my nieces cheerleading competition in Frisco, I had a revelation. We seem to have this need to connect with people. Not just specific people but anyone! While sitting in a very large arena, I noticed another niece of mine playing with her Nintendo DS. Never really paying much attention to the DS in the past, I was amazed at what I was witnessing. I was not aware that these little devices could text message from one DS to another. In fact, they seem to support a rather sizable network of surrounding DS machines. As I watched her play, I realized that she did not know who she was communicating with, just communicating. Yes, the messages were silly but they were connecting across the arena and responding to what ever was sent. Pictures, text, it really didn’t mater. Just sent something that was fun.
Figuring that this was a cheerleading competition and the place was filled with girls who like to stand up and cheer, I had my niece send a message that said they should all stand up and wave. WOW! What happened next was that groups of girls all across the arena started to wave! It was amazing how many of them received the message and acted based on the contents of the message. This got me thinking…what applications for collaborative work might a simple network like this have in a classroom? These kids, all about 10 to 15, seemed very comfortable in this collaborative text environment. As we went through our last TI session, I was surprised how many did not really like the text environment. Now, I realize that there are great limitations with text only and accessibility must be taken into account. However, here is an entire generation that uses cell phones and other devices to text message groups of people, they know and don’t know, on a regular basis.
However, this was not the end of my revelation. As we were leaving the arena, I noticed a large number of adults with phones in hand. They were not talking but rather, looking down at the text message they just received or were entering a text message to send. When I say large group…it was very obvious that text messages where flying all around that place and beyond. We clearly do live in a world that is connected and it seems that the written word is fundamental in making those connections meaningful. We can lament the change in the way the language is being used, the short-hand and sound bite nature of the choppy communication. However, this group is communicating and text messaging is here to stay. Having recently discussed the changing nature of the language with a group where most where not in favor of how the language was being used, I could not help but think about how nice it is that we don’t speak in Old English today.
Figuring that this was a cheerleading competition and the place was filled with girls who like to stand up and cheer, I had my niece send a message that said they should all stand up and wave. WOW! What happened next was that groups of girls all across the arena started to wave! It was amazing how many of them received the message and acted based on the contents of the message. This got me thinking…what applications for collaborative work might a simple network like this have in a classroom? These kids, all about 10 to 15, seemed very comfortable in this collaborative text environment. As we went through our last TI session, I was surprised how many did not really like the text environment. Now, I realize that there are great limitations with text only and accessibility must be taken into account. However, here is an entire generation that uses cell phones and other devices to text message groups of people, they know and don’t know, on a regular basis.
However, this was not the end of my revelation. As we were leaving the arena, I noticed a large number of adults with phones in hand. They were not talking but rather, looking down at the text message they just received or were entering a text message to send. When I say large group…it was very obvious that text messages where flying all around that place and beyond. We clearly do live in a world that is connected and it seems that the written word is fundamental in making those connections meaningful. We can lament the change in the way the language is being used, the short-hand and sound bite nature of the choppy communication. However, this group is communicating and text messaging is here to stay. Having recently discussed the changing nature of the language with a group where most where not in favor of how the language was being used, I could not help but think about how nice it is that we don’t speak in Old English today.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
The beginning of a new journey
In about 3 hours, I will begin a new journey in leanring. It will be fun to consider the readings and activities of this course. It is also nice to get back into blogging. I am (or was) an avid blogger who realized the power of reflection in learning and research. However, like so many good things, life gets in the way.
I tried to replace blogging with an mp3 recorder that I carried in my pocket. While this was powerful in other ways, it was not the same as writing out the thoughts. The intent was to eventually write out what I had recored. Well, today, that would mean a full-time job for the next year captuing these thoughts in writing. I only wish speech to text was better- much of these thoughts were captured while driving. Yes, I know, I should be focusing on the road. The good news is that the recorder removed the legal pad from my lap!
I have so much to catch up on now so I guess I will start with new thoughts and try to weave in the older thoughts as we go. This means I really need to finish setting up my blog for my personal website...If only there were more hours in a day!
I tried to replace blogging with an mp3 recorder that I carried in my pocket. While this was powerful in other ways, it was not the same as writing out the thoughts. The intent was to eventually write out what I had recored. Well, today, that would mean a full-time job for the next year captuing these thoughts in writing. I only wish speech to text was better- much of these thoughts were captured while driving. Yes, I know, I should be focusing on the road. The good news is that the recorder removed the legal pad from my lap!
I have so much to catch up on now so I guess I will start with new thoughts and try to weave in the older thoughts as we go. This means I really need to finish setting up my blog for my personal website...If only there were more hours in a day!
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