500 Pound Gorilla in the Room

As my more recent posts suggest, my district’s technology team has been having some productive conversations about using online collaboration tools with students and staff.  I”m excited by the positive reactions from our administrators and IT specialists.  However, they have a few concerns….

When is it alright to talk about this?

Photo by: Mike Harbison

 

I”ve been to a few workshops recently where presenters or attendees have either scoffed at or brushed off teachers who raise their hands to say:  “My district won’t let us do that.”  At times, it seems like when a teacher voices that concern, they are treated as if they are unwilling to change.  We’re learning about great tools and how to use them effectively with our students, but we’re ignoring the 500 pound gorilla in the room:  many districts are NOT allowing students to collaborate online…in fact, most tools are blocked for students and teachers alike!!

 I completely support the most common response to those hand-raising teachers; we need to be creative innovators to win over our administrators. ..be agents of change….don’t just believe in it, do it!  (A moving post by Joyce Valenza will fire you up!  Thank you to Media Specialist Amy King for sharing.)

Last week, I attended RTEC(Rutgers Technology in Education Conference) presented by Rutgers University.  Peter Oyler from Apple Inc. spoke about what 21st century learning environments look like.  It was a very good presentation, which ended with an opportunity to reflect on our role as educators to determine if we were truly giving our students the best opportunities to learn and how technology could enhance that learning.  I wondered how many teachers in the audience were thinking what I was thinking, “Yes, I want to do this, but my district….”

The administrators in my district have concerns, and honestly with the number of lawsuits against schools growing, I understand why.  Here are some of their concerns:

• If a child is the victim of cyber-bullying while not in school, but while using a district approved online tool, can the school be held liable?
• If our students use collaboration tools in school in a safe “walled garden” manner, yet chooses to use the tool in a completely public manner at home and that child’s safety is compromised, can the school be held liable?
• Online predators**:  what is the (real) chance of an online predator contacting our students with these tools?   What is the (real) chance of an online predator finding information about a student (name, photo) and using that information to harm/kidnap a student, if we allow students to use these tools?
• Can an AUP and staff/student/parent education concerning online safety and digital citizenship completely protect the district from lawsuits?

**I’m waiting to hear back from Dr. Tim Tyson, who gave a great iSafety presentation at RTEC.  I”m hoping he can share his resources which brought some very interesting facts about online predators to light.  I’ll post about the details when I hear back from him.

I do not have a background in educational law.  I’ve done a few searches for recent lawsuits in this area, but so far haven’t found much at all.   However, I’m assuming that my district isn’t the only district dragging their feet because of potential legal issues.

I will continue to strive to be an agent of change.  I will continue to research, collaborate and learn about this wonderful world in which my students should be participating.   However, until the concerns listed above are addressed, it’s likely we won’t budge.   For me, now is a good time to talk about these issues.

My questions:  Does your district have these concerns?  If not, what legally supports your programming?   Even if you don’t agree with the concerns, are they valid?   What can be done to make my administration feel comfortable about using online collaboration tools with students and staff?

Thanks for reading!

Google Teacher Academy and Collaboration

“If you walk away learning one new thing, it was a good workshop.”

Really?  Are our standards so low in the world of educational professional development that we’re willing to spend hours on sub. plans to waste 6 hours at a workshop where we’re hoping to learn ONE new thing?  I’ve heard many veteran teachers (whom I deeply respect) talk about the cycles of educational pedagogy.  Techniques they used their first year of teaching are suddenly “in fashion” again under a different name.  How would a typical lecture based workshop ever expose these experienced teachers to anything new?   If so many educators are proficient in content, teaching styles and of course… the oldie but goodie, classroom management…. why are so many professional development sessions dedicated to those topics?  Why not aim for:

“If you walk away learning all new things, it was a life changing workshop.”

That’s how I felt about the Google Teacher Academy.  Obviously, I had test-driven many of the Google Apps. before.  I’m not a proficient user of any of the tools, but the sections of the day that were dedicated to “how” to use the tools simply built upon my prior knowledge.  Here’s the best part:  although the day was “officially” dedicated to teaching educators about these tools and how to use them in the classroom, that’s the topic I learned the LEAST about!  Believe it or not, that’s a good thing…I’ll explain.

I am sure that some of the GTA attendees were proficient at using Google Apps. with their students and in their personal/professional lives.  Obviously, there was a promise of learning bigger and better things at the academy.  So what made it the absolute best day of professional development I’ve ever had?? 

Collaboration

from: http://www.everydaygivingblog.com/enthusiasm/

 I watched this video posted on Edutopia this morning and made some connections.  Randy Nelson, from Pixar University, spoke about the difference between collaboration and cooperation in the workplace.  Collaboration allows people to amplify others they are working with.  That is the perfect way to explain how I felt at Google.  I was with my own people.  Some people knew more than I did and some people knew less.  But we all managed to amplify each other in one way or another.  Ideas, stories, concerns and solutions were shared during breakout sessions, lunch, dinner, bathroom breaks, on the stairs, you name it!  The atmosphere set by the GTA team inspired me to learn from and about the person next to me.  There was no underlying competition to look like the “smartest” person in the room.  I felt like I was part of a living, growing organism. 

It was life changing and I plan on putting that
inspiration and amplification to good use!

When Will They Learn?

I had a great discussion with Fiance’ over breakfast about current technology issues we’re dealing with at our places of employment.  He is an IT guy for a university, so although he isn’t an educator himself, he supports technology in his department.  He explained that the IT department is investigating the use of (edupunks, cover your ears) Microsoft’s SharePoint.  I’m not familiar with the software, so he sweetly explained how the tools would allow for collaboration between staff members and eventually students. 

My mind jumped from one “ah-ha!” to another:

1. I may not know this software, but I know what it does.  I’m familiar with sharing documents and collaborating on web-based platforms.
2. # 1 is exactly what I want my students to learn!  I can’t possibly teach them every program or tool, but with enough exposure, they’ll develop networking common sense.  They may not know exactly how to use a new tool, but they’ll tap prior knowledge of similar tools to figure it out.
3. OMG.  I’m not exposing my students to these tools.  My district does not currently allow it.  Who will teach them how to use these educational networking tools appropriately and effectively? 

Educational networking tools are blocked in my district, so if the current 8th graders are using them at all, it’s probably for pure entertainment.  Not a bad place to start, but what will they do in 5 years when their college professor asks them to respond to/create a blog or create a multi-media presentation rather than write a paper?   Will the college professors teach the freshmen how to use the tools?  If not, when will they learn?

 Question:  Does your K-12 district have a systemic technology curriculum plan?  Does the K-5 curriculum properly prepare your students for the next step?  If you work in higher education, do you feel students are entering college with “educational networking common sense”?

Hey…You…Guuuuys (and Gals)!!! Part 2

TGI-PLN (Thank Goodness It’s Personal Learning Network)

Thank you to everyone who commented on Part 1 of this post, especially MariaD for bringing to my attention (in very professional, non-D’oh! way) that I had left out possibly the most important part of social networking… sharing and collaborating!  Haven’t I learned that “Reading’ and “Watching” aren’t enough for the 21st Century?  Sheesh…where was my head?

Summer Homework for Teachers and Administrators?  Yippeee!

In Part 1, I posted links that explained RSS feeders and how to get one.  Reading blogs is not enough.  Take full advantage of them… comment.  Leave comments for the author, or for other readers.  Many bloggers will respond to comments so feel free to pose a question or expand the discussion.  When you’re ready, start your own blog!  There are plenty of platforms to choose from.  I use wordpress.com, but find the one that’s right for you.  Edublog is specifically for teachers and students and is free.  Did you say blogs for students?  Why yes, I did.  Check out Scott McLeod’s wiki on K-12 blogs.  Read, learn, create and share. (not necessarily in that order)

Continually Create Your Personal Learning Network

The biggest mystery I faced when I started this journey was “How do I find the good stuff?”.  Why reinvent the wheel?  Why not start by investigating the same “stuff” that other educators and administrators are following?  Easy:  set up a Twitter account.  The Twitter.com FAQ’s states that, “Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers…”  Basically you pick members that you want to follow, based on common interests such as technology and education.  Following someone on Twitter allows you to see what they post.  Then the magic happens.  Professionals from all over the world are telling youwhat they are doing!!  Workshop announcements, new blog posts, interesting articles, webcasts, IT advice…all dispensed in 140 characters or less.  Watch, learn, and interact. (not necessarily in that order)

I Learned Everything in Kindergarten:  SHARE!

Share everything**. (This is something I need to start doing more often.)   Create an online identity.  Be transparent:  the person you are online is like the person you are in real life.  (thank you, Kevin Jarrett) Post photos (professional, personal, your choice) on Flickr.com.  Create a wiki so you and colleagues (inside your building and from across the world) can collaborate on projects.  Stop sending documents as “flat” email attachments.  Give them some depth by creating files in iGoogle Docs, so you can share them with others in order to collaborate!  Share videos (again, professional or personal) on YouTube or TeacherTube.  Just get out there and experience this world.  Help create this world.

Our Students Need  Us To Learn, Share and Collaborate

We can’t teach our students about these tools unless we use them ourselves.  If we don’t share this knowledge with our students, they’ll use these tools without us.  Lack of guidance could lead to cyber-bullying or simply inappropriate online behavior.  So as you actively participate and collaborate online, think of ways your students can do the same to expand their learning and acquire 21st Century skills.

Lastly, thank you to Vicki Davis for a recent post that acknowledges and supports new bloggers like:
Kristi, Matthew Needleman, and Michelle Baldwin.

**Please remember to keep safety in mind.  It is never a good idea to share personal information such as address or phone number and students should never share any personal information!  For an opposing view on sharing, read this post on Connecting the Dots, by new blogger Mike Curtin.

Homer Simpson Clipart from:  Fabiosbest’s Public Gallery

Hey…You….Guuuuys (and Gals)!!!

Attention Administrators and Educators

Maybe you’re a classroom teacher interested in the “next big thing” in education. Maybe you’re an administrator.  Maybe you’re one of my administrators.  I have an important message for all of you.  I want to be part of the Learning Revolution.  I want you to discover the Learning Revolution.  Does “Learning Revolution” sound intriguing?  Want to learn more?  Well, from what I’ve found, there’s no easy way to summarize it.  Summer vacation is approaching so we’ll all have a ton of free time (yeah, right).  Here’s a little research that will fill up your free time and most likely throw your views of education for a loop.  That’s what happened to me:

Visit these sites:

North American Council for Online Learning
“Blocking the Future” by Scott McLeod published on The School Administrator, May 2008
Castle:  UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education Iowa State University
“Middle Schoolers and MySpace”by Bill Ferriter published on The Tempered Radical
“Preparing Students to Succeed in the 21st Century” by Liz Davis published on The Power of Educational Technology
“School AUP 2.0″by David Warlick published on 2cents Worth
“Get Past Teaching Apps:  Build and Use a Student Technology Toolbelt” by Vicki Davis published on Cool Cat Teacher Blog
“The Evolution of PD” by Vicki Davis published on Cool Cat Teacher Blog
“Beyond the Fear Factor with Internet Safety” by Wesley Fryer published on Moving at the Speed of Creativity
“My Greatest Hits” by Liz Davis published on The Power of Educational Technology
“Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators”by Kathy Schrock published on Discovery Education

Watch these videos:

 ”We Think” posted on The Thinking Stick
“Wikis in Plain English”by CommonCraft
“Blogs in Plain English” by CommonCraft
“The Machine is Us/ing Us”  by mwesch on YouTube

 

Read These Books:

A Whole New Mind by Daniel H. Pink
The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman
Here Comes Everyone by Clay Shirky
Everything is Miscellaneous by David Weinberger
The Media Equation by Byron Reeves & Clifford Nass
Redefining Literacy for the 21st Century by David Warlick
 

I’ll also be reading and collaborating on these subjects.  Let’s meet in September to discuss our endless options.  We can discuss professional development, AUP’s, Internet safety, Web2.0, etc, etc, etc.

**Have these blog posts and sites caught your interest?  Want to stay on top of the newest posts?  Set up an RSS Reader (such as Google Reader).  Simple explanation and instructions on RSS In Plain English by Common Craft.

Readers:  Please add to this list…I know there are great sites that I’m missing!  Thanks.

Title from:  The Electric Company Television Show 
Picture by: NECC Button contest winner:  Bill Moseley