Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Thursday, December 31, 2009
The Most Popular Post in 2009...
What a year it has been! As 2009 comes to a close I wanted to take a look back and see what post did people visit the most. Surprisingly it was a recent one. Each week after an Edchat (held on Twitter each Tuesday at 7pm EST) I do a post where I attempt to summarize the discussion and add some thoughts of my own. On Nov 18 we discussed how to motivate teachers to use more technology in the classroom. So here, in all it's glory (or lack there of) is the most popular post of 2009 on my blog...
There is one in every school. There is one in every district. There is that one teacher, no matter what you do, no matter how much time you take, how slow you go, how much one-on-one time you spend with them, there is that one teacher who is not going to integrate technology into their classroom. They dig in their heals. They bury their heads in the sand. They shut the doors to their classroom, leaving technology (and perhaps ultimately quality learning) out in the cold.
As is the case every Tuesday evening, educators, parents and students from around the globe came together on Twitter for #edchat. The topic: How do we encourage those teachers who don't see or refuse to see the value in technology integration? It was, as always, a fascinating discussion. Here is just a snapshot of some of the thoughts of the participants:
You can read more of the comments here and the archive here.
Here are some of my thoughts...
I deal with this every day so I am sort of an expert on the matter.
Every job in education is hard, there is no doubt about that. And most of us in education feel like we are dumped on over and over and over again, especially teachers. I started my career as a classroom teacher, I know what that feeling is like. However, it's not about me. It's not about my administrators or the big wigs at the state or national level. All that should matter to me (and to every educator out there) is the kids.
I think many teachers have lost focus and think the job is about them and their satisfaction. How they feel is all that matter. And not that the feelings of educators are not important, but come on! It's not about you. It's about the kids.
Backing off my soap box...
Like I said I deal with teachers who flat out refuse to integrate. I hear time and time again, "What's the point? What I have done for years has worked, my students have passed the test. Why change now?"
It's not about you...
Three themes repeated themselves over and over. Time, training and image.
Time is easy to address. Everyone's time is valuable. Everyone feels like they don't have enough time. Nto enough time to sit in a workshop and learn. Not enough time to learn how to use a new tool. Not enough time to take the kids to the computer lab because there is too much curriculum to cover.
It's not about you...
Authentic trainings are important. Those of use who spend vast amounts of time training teachers need to realize that in addition to teaching the tool and showing examples of how it can be used in the classroom, teachers want to hear from other teachers how it works for them. I can tell teachers all day what worked for me. But until they hear it from a peer what I say is meaningless. Oh, and Administrators, you need to provide your teachers and other staff the ability to learn. Meaning you need to forget about time and curriculum every once in a while and think about what your kids need.
It's not about you...
And if someone says one more time that their teachers are scared to look dumb in front of the kids I am gonna loose it! We teach our kids to use mistakes as learning lessons. Making mistakes is human. And I have written about this before, it happens to the best of us. At some point we are going to look like a failure in front of a group of learners. But the best of us use these moments as learning moments. Expect to fail.
A great suggestion was focusing on one tool for an extended period of time, maybe even a year long training. This allows for slow, easy integration. Time is taken to learn the tool. Ideas are suggested on how it can be used in the classroom. Successes and failures are shared. If there is time introduce a new tool. The point is that it's easy to get overwhelmed. And that is when teachers shut down and back away. Slow down and take it one tool at a time.
So how do you motivate the unmotivatible? You can't and you don't. Those that are never going to integrate can't be changed. Efforts need to spent with those that are willing and want to learn and are eager to try. Then you might start to change minds.
So what do you think? What are some reasons you think teachers refuse to use technology in the classroom? Are they right to think they way they do? Should teachers who refuse be punished (as was suggested)? What other thoughts do you have. I look forward to your comments.
Image from Google CC Image Search. View the original here.
You Want Me To Use This In My Classroom? What's The Point?
There is one in every school. There is one in every district. There is that one teacher, no matter what you do, no matter how much time you take, how slow you go, how much one-on-one time you spend with them, there is that one teacher who is not going to integrate technology into their classroom. They dig in their heals. They bury their heads in the sand. They shut the doors to their classroom, leaving technology (and perhaps ultimately quality learning) out in the cold.As is the case every Tuesday evening, educators, parents and students from around the globe came together on Twitter for #edchat. The topic: How do we encourage those teachers who don't see or refuse to see the value in technology integration? It was, as always, a fascinating discussion. Here is just a snapshot of some of the thoughts of the participants:
- Motivation comes from success. Use the same strategies as with students - meet them where they are. Change is always painful but change WILL come. For those who refuse to integrate - it depends. Is it mandatory by the school or district? If so, refusal becomes grounds for dismissal. Why do we hesitate to dismiss employees who demonstrate poor performance or insubordination? In corporate America, these people would be looking for a job. Why do we not hold the same standard for educators but accept sub-par employee performance? I think the main reason teachers are apprehensive is that they wonder if they learn it now, will budget cuts cause them to lose it later? Valid concern. Another is the implementation dip - change is a process. Everyone is in a different place on the continuum. -An Administrator
- I think that many teachers are apprehensive because technology is ever-changing. It can be very intimidating for those who don't keep up with the current trends, such as twitter, delicious, and blogging. I think that for many teachers, however, if given more technological support and resources, they might be more prone to check things out. I know that I was not personally an advocate for technology before learning about what is out there on the web, but after taking my Technology for the Elementary Teachers course I feel a lot better about bringing technology into my future classroom. -A Pre-Service Teacher
- We need to get administrators on board with the amount of support, time, and training it takes for continuous technology integration. Teachers need to have an in house person to go to to fix what doesn't work. They need to be given time during the school day to work on lesson plans, collaborate with others and integrate technology. Training needs to be scaffolded, accessible and continuous. We can't expect teachers to learn everything in the summer. PD needs to be throughout the school year. We need to take away the excuses so that there is no good reason to NOT integrate technology. -An Instructional Technologist
- Apprehensive because they've seen so many changes. They don't know what will stick and what won't. They don't see what people are doing with technology these days. I motivate teachers best when I'm able to have conversations with them, find out what they're doing and give them a few suggestions. -A Media Specialist
- I believe the best way to try to motivate your peers is by showing them that you have been using, effectively, a tool to save you time and, at the same time, foster learner autonomy. I don't really think that refusing to integrate is a problem as long as the teacher is capable of responding to his or her learners' needs. After all, what matters is that we, educators, empower our learners with knowledge and show them that they are the ones who have to make it happen. This can be done through many different ways.
- If I had to name the main reasons for teachers being apprehensive, I'd say it's because they might not be willing to make changes in something that's always worked for them, and they might be afraid of realizing they can't cope with the new technology properly. Finally, I guess we should never stop thinking about our context. The Internet has brought us closer together, but let's not forget to act locally without forgetting the particularities of each place. -A District Administrator
- I don't know that we can motivate teachers who have made up their minds not to learn and stretch. I think the motivation needs to largely come from within. I think that we can introduce our peers to new concepts and ideas but it will be up to them to take hold or pursue them. I think if you refuse to integrate you are doing a disservice to your students. It should not be tolerated by administrators, fellow teachers, students, or parents. Teachers that I know are apprehensive because they don't want to learn one more thing. I hear that a lot. Everything is too much to expect from them. Legitimate reasons for being apprehensive are: not enough support, equipment that doesn't work consistently, or lack of training. -A Teacher
You can read more of the comments here and the archive here.
Here are some of my thoughts...
I deal with this every day so I am sort of an expert on the matter.
Every job in education is hard, there is no doubt about that. And most of us in education feel like we are dumped on over and over and over again, especially teachers. I started my career as a classroom teacher, I know what that feeling is like. However, it's not about me. It's not about my administrators or the big wigs at the state or national level. All that should matter to me (and to every educator out there) is the kids.
I think many teachers have lost focus and think the job is about them and their satisfaction. How they feel is all that matter. And not that the feelings of educators are not important, but come on! It's not about you. It's about the kids.
Backing off my soap box...
Like I said I deal with teachers who flat out refuse to integrate. I hear time and time again, "What's the point? What I have done for years has worked, my students have passed the test. Why change now?"
It's not about you...
Three themes repeated themselves over and over. Time, training and image.
Time is easy to address. Everyone's time is valuable. Everyone feels like they don't have enough time. Nto enough time to sit in a workshop and learn. Not enough time to learn how to use a new tool. Not enough time to take the kids to the computer lab because there is too much curriculum to cover.
It's not about you...
Authentic trainings are important. Those of use who spend vast amounts of time training teachers need to realize that in addition to teaching the tool and showing examples of how it can be used in the classroom, teachers want to hear from other teachers how it works for them. I can tell teachers all day what worked for me. But until they hear it from a peer what I say is meaningless. Oh, and Administrators, you need to provide your teachers and other staff the ability to learn. Meaning you need to forget about time and curriculum every once in a while and think about what your kids need.
It's not about you...
And if someone says one more time that their teachers are scared to look dumb in front of the kids I am gonna loose it! We teach our kids to use mistakes as learning lessons. Making mistakes is human. And I have written about this before, it happens to the best of us. At some point we are going to look like a failure in front of a group of learners. But the best of us use these moments as learning moments. Expect to fail.
A great suggestion was focusing on one tool for an extended period of time, maybe even a year long training. This allows for slow, easy integration. Time is taken to learn the tool. Ideas are suggested on how it can be used in the classroom. Successes and failures are shared. If there is time introduce a new tool. The point is that it's easy to get overwhelmed. And that is when teachers shut down and back away. Slow down and take it one tool at a time.
So how do you motivate the unmotivatible? You can't and you don't. Those that are never going to integrate can't be changed. Efforts need to spent with those that are willing and want to learn and are eager to try. Then you might start to change minds.
So what do you think? What are some reasons you think teachers refuse to use technology in the classroom? Are they right to think they way they do? Should teachers who refuse be punished (as was suggested)? What other thoughts do you have. I look forward to your comments.
Image from Google CC Image Search. View the original here.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Start The New Year Off Right With The Essential Tools For Educators
Recently I have been reflecting on the year and writing about some things to consider for next year like a few Google Tools or , as in yesterday's post, Applications that will break out next year. Today I just want to highlight a 4-part series I did back in Late October/Early November on The Essential Tools For The Connected Teacher.There are some tools that educators need to embrace and learn how to use both in and out of the classroom. Each of the tools on these lists have some value either with students or for professional development. I encourage you, as part of a professional resolution for the coming year to investigate these tools. If you are already an expert, pass along the list to someone who isn't and perhaps resolve to take that educator under your wing and work with them this year.
Tools For Communication- In this post I highlight class websites, blogs, RSS readers, and Drop.Io for enhancing communication in and out of the classroom.
Tools For Collaborating With Students- Here I discuss Google Docs, wikis, Edmodo and Social Bookmarking as ways to promote collaboration with and among students.
Tools For Collaborating With Professionals- Learn about how Twitter, Ning, Skype and Google Wave can all be used to connect with and learn from other educators.
Tools To Create- See how easy it is to create a multimedia-rich classroom with Animoto, podcasts and Voicethread.
Remember to take it slow. Take one series and focus on that for a while. Don't try to integrate and use all these tools at once, you are doomed to fail. Rather, pick the ones you can see easily fitting into what you are already doing and grow from there.
Are there others you would add to the list? What would they be and why. Leave me some comments below!
Image From Google CC Search
Monday, December 28, 2009
Web 2.0 Tools That Will Break Through Next Year, With Your Help
Social Media and Web 2.0 Tools made huge inroads in education this year. From the Twitter explosion to Animoto to Google Apps there were several success stories of various tools making their way into the classroom for learning.But I think the trend will only continue. I predict that there will be further growth of several tools over the next year. While none of these are new, they might only be known in small circles of teachers or educational/instructional technologists. But I believe each of these tools is on the cusp of a major breakthrough in the educational arena.
So here, in no particular order are the tools that, with your help, can break through to the educational mainstream.
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There are 2 groups of people when it comes to Voicethread. Those that use it regularly and those that have no clue. (But I guess that is the case with anything.) Voicethread is an amazing program that allows you (but I hope your students) to upload photos in a slideshow format. On each picture the user can narrate and/or place text. Then anyone can leave a comment on the sides of the preso either in text or voice format. Sound complicated? It's not! Cindy Brock, an Educational Technology Specialist in Tennessee recently posted a Voicethread made by 2nd Graders at her school about Tennessee state symbols.
She then wen out on Twitter and had her PLN make comments. (You can scroll through the presentation so see more.) You can see the variation of comments from voice to text really makes Voicethread a cool application for teaching collaboration. Basic accounts are free but if you have enough teachers on board a school account is worth a look. The basic accounts work just fine for most all educators. Be sure to check out the Getting Started With VoiceThread In The Classroom Guide (PDF) and experiment. I think this app has huge potential to be the most talked about tool of 2010 just because of its ease of use and how really cool it is!
(Be sure to also check out my Essential Tools For The Connected Teacher Part 4 for more Voicethread resources.)
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This is one most people of heard of, However, if you haven't, Skype is a free application that you download and register for an account. Once set up you can make free PC-to-PC calls with voice and/or video. You can also do conference calls with several people (although you can't do video with more than 2 people). There is also file sharing and screen sharing available, all for free.
I have written before about how Skype is a game changer in education. The ability to instantly connect with, for free, a classroom, author or expert on the other side of the globe is huge. In education we keep talking about giving our kids a "Global Education." Ok, so here is a something, FREE, that we can do it with, but yet I hear time and time again it is blocked. Bandwidth and content are cited most often. If you are an educator where that is the case it's time to show the value in the service. Talk about the connections.
Skype has the potential to make walled classroom obsolete next year. For an example check out Silvia Tolisano's Around The World With 80 Schools Project. And you can see this post for more Skype resources.
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As I said before, Social Media had a breakout year with educators this year. Educators took Twitter by storm and several other services as well. But there is one that is primarily used for Professional Development that has the chance to make it's way into the mainstream classroom this next year.
Ning is the social network you create. Some liken it to Facebook, but for me its much, much different. There isn't the clutter on Ning like you find on Facebook and there are tons more controls for the creator. The ability to make the network private is a big one. The creator can also control how posts appear and content that is posted.
So what about the classroom? You can create your own virtual classroom with forums for asking and answering questions. Create groups where you students can collaborate virtually and share files. You can post videos from class. The possibilities are endless. (Check this out for more Ning info and resources.)
The classroom doesn't need to be just in the school building. Educators are fast discovering that maintaining a virtual classroom, like one created on Ning, can really produce some amazing discussions and provide a platform for great learning.
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What? Who is Diigo? Well its not really a who but more a what. Social Bookmarking stands to make it mainstream in the classroom. What is Social Bookmarking you ask? Well, the awesome guys over at Common Craft have provided us with an explanation.
I was a Delicious user for about a year. I had a Diigo account but never really used it much. All that changed about 4 months ago. I stopped using Delicious because of the requirement that all new users have a Yahoo account, which can be a problem for schools. Plus I discovered I could auto-post to Delicious so those that used that service and followed my bookmarks could still do so.
Ok, so what is so great about Diigo. They really cater to educators. Once you sign up fo an account you can request free educator access that gives you the ability to create student accounts and class accounts that have special features like privacy settings and broadcast messages.
Social Bookmarking wont revolutionize education or change it in any drastic way, however, it will make class operations easier. Teachers and students don't have to copy and paste long links into documents, print them out, take them to the lab and type them all in. Now, sites can be bookmarked and tagged for retrieved from anywhere. (Here are some more social bookmarking resources.)
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Once again, these are not new tools. They have been around for a while. But I really do believe, with your help, we can make it a breakout year for Voicethread, Skype, Ning, and Diigo. They might already be big in your classroom or school. If so, that is awesome, tell others about them. Share success stories. Share stories of failure and learning from the failure. Pass this post on to a colleague. If these tools are not big where you are, now is the time. They are all free to set up, and so very easy to use. Try them out, ask around, see what others are doing.
Are there other tools that you think will have a breakout year? What are they? Why do they stand out to you? Leave me some comments below.
Have A Wonderful New Year!
Image From Google CC Search
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Google Tools For The New Year
Everyone has got one. A Year in Review. Whether its for the top news stories of the year, or top gadgets of the year or even the top apologies of the year these lists are everywhere. Why look back when we can look forward?
There is a huge amount of information stored on each Living Stories page like quotes, multimedia, important characters, and more, all, linked out so you can find more information. But the implications for education are quite large. In just a history or social studies class students can easily see the evolution of major news events and have all their research in one place. Right now the choices in stories is very limited but I expect this to be big next year and grow once they add more media outlets.
This one has some potential. I would like to see the ability to filter out content. But it is a great way to discover stories from across the web that you might not normally see on the Google News site or through a regular search.
So you see some major monuments, people and events. If you click a set you get a swirl of related images. So for example if we click the image of the Washington Monument we get a new set of images that are all related.
The images in that set can be drilled down to further and further related images. Swirl is interesting. It's a pretty cool way to find images on a specific topic and find related images. While not every search will return a swirl I expect this app to grow and get better over the next year.
Google Swirl Images from Official Google Blog
This was a huge year for Google. From the acquisition of Etherpad, to the unveiling of the Google Phone to the biggest news of the year, Wave, Google is always looking to innovate and change the way we access information. While those might have been the biggest stories of the year there were some additions to Google Labs that you might have missed that are worth a look in the coming year. So here, in no order are my Top Google Tools Worth A Look At In 2010...
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This product is a collaboration between the New York Times, Washington Post and Google to better organize news stories. Basically you take a singular topic like The Politics of Climate Change and Living Stories will show you all the related stories. Right now it just pulls in articles from the NYT and WP but there are plans to expand it to other news organizations in the future.
Here is a short video on how it works:
There is a huge amount of information stored on each Living Stories page like quotes, multimedia, important characters, and more, all, linked out so you can find more information. But the implications for education are quite large. In just a history or social studies class students can easily see the evolution of major news events and have all their research in one place. Right now the choices in stories is very limited but I expect this to be big next year and grow once they add more media outlets.
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This is another news service but its slightly different. FastFlip is more like a visual magazine. It takes the most viewed and most popular news articles and blog posts, captures an image of the page and posts it to FastFlip. You can sort by Popular stories, topics, sections or sources. (You can't control the content so you need to be careful and view before hand.)
For example, Health Care is a very popular topic right now. Doing a FastFlip search returns visuals of the most popular and most read articles from a wide variety of sources about Health Care. (Click for a larger view)
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This one has actually been around for a while but it is such a cool program I have to put it here. Moderator takes polling to a whole new level. You can create a place for brainstorming, feedback and collaboration. You set up what they call a Series where you ask a question. You can attach links, even a You Tube video to further explain and open it up to feedback, ideas and suggestions.
One of the cool public ones is the Ask A World Leader Series. With in that series are lists of all the major world leaders. Click on the name of one leader and see all the questions people have suggested they would ask that leader. You can vote on whether or not its a good question and even leave feedback.
This is an app that doesn't get the respect it deserves. Perfect for collaboration in the classroom, I see it being used for teacher feedback, evaluations and student group work. Its definitely one worth a closer look next year.
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This is another one that is new but very cool. In Swirl, Google has combined the regular ol' Image Search and Similar Images into one, visually appealing product.
Take for example the search term Washington DC. What you get are sets of images related to DC.
So you see some major monuments, people and events. If you click a set you get a swirl of related images. So for example if we click the image of the Washington Monument we get a new set of images that are all related. The images in that set can be drilled down to further and further related images. Swirl is interesting. It's a pretty cool way to find images on a specific topic and find related images. While not every search will return a swirl I expect this app to grow and get better over the next year.____________________________________________________________________
So there is a small list of Google Applications worth a look next year. Of course that is not all. Google Squared (which I have written about in the past) is one I would like to see more teachers using. Of course there are the favorites, Google Calendar, Google Docs and Google Book Search that are all worth the time to investigate and find a use for in the classroom.
Are there other Google Tools that you think teachers might not know about or understand how they could be used in the classroom? Leave a comment below.
Google Swirl Images from Official Google Blog
Monday, December 21, 2009
Winner of the Smart Software Contest Announced
A while back I had the chance to give away over $1400 in Smartech Software. The competition was stiff and the decision was tough.
Dustin Carson from Mt. Pleasant Elementary in Ontario, Canada submitted a great video on how his students use Smart Products everyday.
Congratulations to Dustin and to all that entered!
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