- Wikispaces
- Blogger.com
- Google Documents including Google Forms for surveying
- YouTube
- Animoto
- Slideshare
- iGoogle
- Google Reader
- Google Bookmarks
- Delicious
- Screencast-o-matic.com
- Screencast.com
- JING
- Audacity
- NING
- Diigo
- Screenr.com
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Tech Tools
Currently using:
Friday, December 11, 2009
Making the Implicit Explicit by Kim Cofino
When it comes to technology some people seem to just know what to do while others struggle. In fact the list of skills from the 1990s seems almost silly now! (Ex. knowing to hold your mouse over an icon or a link to see what it does). Unless of course you happen to be one of those people for whom teachnology isn't yet "second nature." Rather than try to teach basic, program-specific skills, Kim suggests we teach people the process to figure things out. Things like using the "Help" button and a few key terms to find step by step instructions. Check out the other suggestions on the "Tech Support Cheat Sheet" on the left.
In the long run, these are the 21st century skills that learners need to be successful. Check out Kim's post at "Always Learning - Teaching Technology Abroad"
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Reconceptualizing 21st Century Education
"Self-driven and Classroom-based: Professional Development in the 21st Century" from the K-12 Online Conference.
Konrad Glogowski begins his video where it all happens for most of us - in the classroom. His focus is on the teacher and classroom-based professional development. Most professional development is focused on learning new tools and new methods and then applying it in the classroom. Glogowski sees a need for educators to spend more time and effort reflecting on their practice - both content and process. Though it's great to be exposed to new ideas by following other educators on Twitter or reading blogs, that is passive ( "learning from"). In his view, learning and growth are best achieved by connecting with and engaging in meaningful conversations about practice with 2 or 3 critical colleagues ("learning with"). I absolutely agree. I learn so much by working with colleagues (co-teaching a class) or just observing a class then sharing ideas and insights . I / we need to make more time to do this!
I liked the way Glogowski summarized the steps of the reflection process:
1. DESCRIBING ... what is happening? Is it working? For everyone? Am I proud of my classroom?
2. QUESTIONING .... After we describe our practice, we uncover beliefs that cause us to teach the way we do. Notice our limits. Try to take others' points of view .. parents, students colleagues. This helps us identify the limitations of our own point of view
3. CONFRONTING .... Learn to recognize that our practice is not a group of tools it is very personal. What does it say about our values? What should we be doing?
4. RECONSTRUCTING OUR PRACTICE ... restructure, redefine, How can i change?
Glogowski concludes with:
We need to reconceptualize education in the 21st Century. Key elements:
1. builds on relations with students
2. involves teachers as learners
3. classroom is not a stage - it is an organic environment that leads to learning. A place of inquiry and perpetual experimentation.
In this environment, both students and teachers are stack-holders. The more input students have in content, organization and evaluation of learning the more they will be vested in the process.
Glogowski's final thought: Students don't need prepackaged knowledge. They need classrooms that are sites of inquiry where the teachers and students are learning together in communities of learning.
My thoughts:
How can I make time for reflection on my practice in the Achievement Center? It should be regular and scheduled or it doesn't happen. Who are my 2 or 3 critical colleagues? What would happen if I scheduled one period a week to observe another teacher's class and then had lunch together to discuss it? More questions than answers but then again that is what this activity is supposed to do .. make you think!
Konrad Glogowski begins his video where it all happens for most of us - in the classroom. His focus is on the teacher and classroom-based professional development. Most professional development is focused on learning new tools and new methods and then applying it in the classroom. Glogowski sees a need for educators to spend more time and effort reflecting on their practice - both content and process. Though it's great to be exposed to new ideas by following other educators on Twitter or reading blogs, that is passive ( "learning from"). In his view, learning and growth are best achieved by connecting with and engaging in meaningful conversations about practice with 2 or 3 critical colleagues ("learning with"). I absolutely agree. I learn so much by working with colleagues (co-teaching a class) or just observing a class then sharing ideas and insights . I / we need to make more time to do this!
I liked the way Glogowski summarized the steps of the reflection process:
1. DESCRIBING ... what is happening? Is it working? For everyone? Am I proud of my classroom?
2. QUESTIONING .... After we describe our practice, we uncover beliefs that cause us to teach the way we do. Notice our limits. Try to take others' points of view .. parents, students colleagues. This helps us identify the limitations of our own point of view
3. CONFRONTING .... Learn to recognize that our practice is not a group of tools it is very personal. What does it say about our values? What should we be doing?
4. RECONSTRUCTING OUR PRACTICE ... restructure, redefine, How can i change?
Glogowski concludes with:
We need to reconceptualize education in the 21st Century. Key elements:
1. builds on relations with students
2. involves teachers as learners
3. classroom is not a stage - it is an organic environment that leads to learning. A place of inquiry and perpetual experimentation.
In this environment, both students and teachers are stack-holders. The more input students have in content, organization and evaluation of learning the more they will be vested in the process.
Glogowski's final thought: Students don't need prepackaged knowledge. They need classrooms that are sites of inquiry where the teachers and students are learning together in communities of learning.
My thoughts:
How can I make time for reflection on my practice in the Achievement Center? It should be regular and scheduled or it doesn't happen. Who are my 2 or 3 critical colleagues? What would happen if I scheduled one period a week to observe another teacher's class and then had lunch together to discuss it? More questions than answers but then again that is what this activity is supposed to do .. make you think!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Working smarter not harder ...
Learning is more than just knowing about new tools - it means using and applying what you learn. So obvious right? When we learned about RRS feeds coming in to Google Reader, I added a couple of subscriptions to classmates' blogs, put them in a folder and thought "that's going to be useful." But since then I haven't used my Google reader much. I have been checking classmates blogs by going to Alice's blog list and opening each blog to see what's up. Yesterday before class I had one of those "ah ha" moments. I though "why didn't I put the blogs for everybody in my class into my Google Reader and then check Google Reader?" That's working smarter not harder. So this morning, I spent about 30 minutes doing just that. That way I can keep tabs on what everybody is doing and keep in touch after our class ends. I am realizing that this class has given me new tools (which I expected) but more importantly it has exposed me to and connected me with a very global learning community for both my personal interests and my professional development. I had an inkling of this but never thought I would spend my evenings reading blogs!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Final Project: National Honor Society Wiki
WHAT: Create a Wiki for National Honor Society (NHS) @
http://cehsnationalhonorsociety.wikispaces.com/
WHY: The group currently uses email and a First Class-hosted website for communication. In addition to our need for communication, the group's events and service projects also require a significant amount of interaction and collaboration that our website does not allow and our email does very inefficiently! A Wiki would address these needs and would give us the option to share videos in addition to photos.
HOW: One of the NHS officers is responsible for the website. He has not used a Wiki before but is a quick study and very capable of maintaining the Wiki if I set it up.
CHANGE IN PRACTICE: I work closely and regularly with this group of 26 students so this group is an obvious choice for me to work with. My goal is to change the way we do business. The Wiki will better serve the needs of the organization and the students will learn a new, valuable tool.
WHEN: By the end of this year!
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