I mentioned Twitter during some staff development sessions on Thursday, and found myself struggling to explain how powerful a tool it can be.
Teach42 has an outstanding post on Twitter that illustrates it far better than I could, so I’m pointing to his post here. (although I’m adding to it)
If you haven’t used Twitter before, it can be a very helpful “networking” tool and place to gather ideas. And it’s easy to build a network there–find one person, see who they are linking to, and add more people, and pretty soon you have created a network.
This week, I put out a “shout-out” on Twitter during my staff development workshop, asking what makes staff development good, since our teachers were brainstorming about that as well.
Getting answers to that question on Twitter from South Korea, Australia, and here in the U.S. demonstrated to our own teachers how many “universals” there are in education, no matter where you go. And even though we had been brainstorming about this question during two days, some of the Twitterers still gave fresh answers that we hadn’t considered.
I know in my own building, perhaps teachers wonder how to find time for a tool like this or how I can find time to use it? My answer is–it saves me a tremendous amount of time. When someone comes to me with a question, if I don’t know the answer, I can throw it out to a wide network of educators in my network on Twitter, and almost always get an answer. As a librarian, my job is to help find information and answer questions, and to be aware of resources out there for teachers and students. I don’t have to know it all, but I need to know how to find it.
So my question is–How could I not use it?
Check out Teach42’s fascinating illustration of this tool at work.
Warning–this is a somewhat esoteric post, but something that grabbed my interest and I wanted to share. This morning, to rev myself up for a day of workshops, I was listening to some podcasts on the way to work and ran across an Accidental Creative podcast interview with Stephen Nachmanovitch, author of Freeplay: Improvisation in Life and Art.
Nachmanovitch’s interview fascinated me because of the implications for schools of what he had to say about improvisation.
He tells a story of a labor strike, which involves workers doing everything exactly by the book until the organization grinds to a halt.
The reason all work stops? Because all organizations function on improvisation and people functioning creatively and spontaneously to solve problems that arise all day long. It seems to me that in schools sincerely trying to respond to changes in education, this ability to improvise is critical, and schools (and libraries) which cannot cultivate a culture of improvisation and flexibility will have a very difficult time with change.
In the podcast, Nachmanovitch and host Todd Henry speak about the dynamic between the “practical” and the “possible,” and how there is a delicate balance between the two that has to be maintained for an organization to function.
Too often it seems that in schools the practical overshadows the possible, and thus squelches creativity, sometimes particularly in regard to creative uses of technology.
“For me, improvisation is all about human relationship. It is about listening, responding, connecting, and about generosity. When a group of free improvisers gets together. . .it is like watching separate beings become integrated into a single nervous system and become, for a time, whole. It is a partnership, with each other and with the audience, in the deepest sense of the word. . . .”
He goes on to write about teaching:
“If you are going to teach, you will plunge into encounters with people who come from different cultural backgrounds, with different tastes, different personalities, different priorities. Your capacity to improvise is one way into these encounters: the art of listening and responding to other human beings.
Each tone and gesture can be seen as an invitation to deepen the information and feelings that are unfolding. The discipline of improvisation is to learn to accept these invitations, to say yes, and to support each other. This is not only a recipe for making wonderful music, it makes for a happier life. “
When I think of things that cause difficulty at my campus, it is when we have systems that aren’t allowing for the spontaneity of events–that are setting up roadblocks at every turn that we must overcome. It’s when the inflexibility of the system is blocking the creative efforts of educators that I get most frustrated.
How can we find, in schools, that balance between what is “practical” and still allow for what is “possible”? How can we say yes to each other, and create a “happier life?”
The inimitable Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach of 21st Century Collaborative has tagged some of us to share what we find valuable about participating in the K12 Online Conference.
Last year about this time, I stumbled over this conference, barely understanding what it meant to have an online conference, but wandered in and gave it a try.
What I found were some amazing presentations,(like David Warlick’s keynote that is still worth watching), a global community (that was my first experience using Skype and it was really a thrill to be talking to educators in Wales and Australia, while sitting with my cat), and a wealth of information I could come back to(because it stays online) later on.
The conference really broadened my experience of what educators could do with their students and some web 2.0 tools. And that was it. I was hooked.
If you want to share the information about this conference, share this flyer with someone you know, or send them to www.k12onlineconference.org to find out more about it.
Last week, Kim Cofino, who teaches at the International School Bangkok, invited bloggers she knew to help one of her fourth grade teachers with a project for Peace Day. The teacher, Scott Lamont, asked the “world” for answers to his questions about peace to share with his students.
Students (from elementary to high school level) and teachers from around the world responded with over 110 answers(some may have been from our district…I saw some from Texas there.)
It’s fascinating to see that among all of the students who posted, from Thailand, Dominican Republic, and Japan, the students who seemed to feel the least sense of peace were those in the U.S.–who seemed both aware of war and aware of not feeling safe in their own neighborhoods.
One student, Mystery868 from Maryland writes what he/she could do, “ I would step up to the government and be like Martin Luther King jr. but im only a averadge person and I would be scared.” I wonder if he/she realizes that Martin Luther King was probably scared too.
Other students from the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia wrote some stunning comments, in terms of raising the awareness of their own lives in urban America.
Amber writes, “there isnt much peace where i live so i cant really explain what peace looks like here. but if i did know what it was, peace to me would feel good. i would feel very safe.”
Another student, Jesse writes, “In Philadelphia, we have a recorded 300 homicides since January 1st. I was on the Philadelphia police department website the other night, and looked at the most wanted list, and too many of them had addresses way too close to mine. Peace, is not having to deal with stuff like that. Peace is not walking down the street feeling like you’re about to get beat up. Peace is a safe internal state of mind that everybody needs to keep from being stressed out all the time.”
And yet another, Alison, writes about the safe feeling her school, SLA, provides: “i go to the science leadership Academy High school in philadelphia PA, USA. . . .Peace feels like walking down SLA’s halls. Many cultures, backgrounds, religions and opinions all walking around happily together. everyone accepts each other and are friends.”
What a compliment to SLA, and it brings to mind how schools can create both places for students to express themselves, and to find a safe haven.
And my favorite is Emma from the Dominican Republic, who writes, “Peace feels like a Library cause its soft speaking and no loud talking.” (I hate to tell Emma how loud and busy our particular library is, but it’s nice to see a fourth grader who thinks of the library as a haven.)
A simple project that a little bit of networking and a global connection has made much more powerful. And I’m hoping the students involved go back and read the other comments posted after theirs — one of the great things about doing this on a blog is that it is available for others to read and add to after the fact, extending the learning beyond the time constraints of one class period.
I feel like a giddy schoolgirl this morning–just having so much fun interacting with other educators around the world who are also giddy about what they are doing.
While most of us in the U.S. were sleeping, Jeff Utecht of Thinking Stick in Shanghai was testing out a new site called WizIq (a new site that is a virtual classroom, with chat, sharing, etc.) and holding a skypechat to discuss it.
Then as I was just getting up, my Skype started ringing, and Chris Betcher(in Australia) was inviting me into a Skype conference call. So I woke up this morning chatting with educators in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Thailand, and Pennsylvania and Maryland, about projects they are doing in their schools or are involved with, and am already trying to hook up some of them with teachers in our district.
I left my computer later thinking we were like giddy school kids, just so excited about the idea of connecting and learning.
And then I started wondering where that expression even comes from? Are most school kids we know giddy about learning, and if not, what can we do about it?
Can we bring this excitement into classrooms in our schools so that our own students feel like giddy school kids?
Some elements that get me giddy that I wonder if we can replicate in schools –
the collaboration piece–when you are working with others on something you are passionate about, and it starts clicking, it feels very energizing.
the online piece–it’s exciting to bring the collaboration online because of transformative abilities the technologies now have to connect us.
the adventure piece–trying something for the first time, exploring it with others, and testing the limits of it can be really energizing.
the challenge piece–when something is challenging, and you figure it out as a group, (or on your own), it feels so rewarding.
the global piece–this may or may not be as “mind blowing” for our students, since they have Facebook, Myspace, etc., but learning from others around the world is exciting. It’s illuminating to get different perspectives, but see what problems we also share across borders. And it’s just really cool to realize you are talking to someone in Thailand or New Zealand before breakfast
the curiosity piece–having some basic curiosity about how things work and discovery creates more enthusiasm.
the spontaneity piece–being able to spontaneously check something out, ask someone a question, hop on the internet to look something up, collaborate on the spot, or contact someone creates a tremendous feeling of ‘point of need’ learning–a feeling I think students are accustomed to having in their “real” lives due to texting, Facebook, etc.
There are so many tools now, as we were discussing in the Skypecast, that allow you to share with students and other teachers or experts this way. Skype, Elluminate, Flashmeeting are just a few worth exploring.
I think one thing that is difficult to sort out if you are new to this is where to start, and where to find projects to participate in, or people to contact. Ning has some great groups to use as launching points–like Classroom 2.0 Ning, Edubloggerworld Ning, or Global Education Ning. Taking IT Global is another resource that Sharon Peters mentioned in the Skype chat this morning. Blogs are another great source of information about global education projects, like the ones mentioned on Always Learning or on Beyond School.
And I have to say that Twitter or any source that lets you network with other like-minded folks is a great resource for connections and ideas. I am not incredibly familiar with Facebook, but I think it has that same sort of ability for sharing. Using a resource like this to network is like having a constant live-feed of ideas from other professionals.
But I think the key thing for me is not the technology, but is thinking about those qualities above that make me feel giddy as a learner, and then figuring out how we can bring more of those things into our classrooms and libraries. Wouldn’t it be awesome to have learning that wakes our students up in the morning and makes them WANT to come to school?
It’s one of my favorite “librariany” conferences, and the first one I blogged from last year as a new blogger, which was such a cool experience (and challenging since the beautiful Asilomar lodge didn’t have internet access in the rooms!)
Part of what I like about this conference is that it’s small and intimate, and that long before other conferences included very many internet “strands,” this conference was pulling together trends in the academic, corporate, and school worlds all into one conference that is always cutting edge.
This year there looks to be a lot of focus on “gaming” and libraries, as well as a focus on how libraries are responding to web 2.0 and how that affects our services.
I’ve learned to create my own “mashup” at the conference of events from the school library sessions and the corporate/academic library sessions(like David King’s cool one last year on videoblogging and flickr), that always challenge me.
I’m presenting a session this year on how librarians can help support administrators with web 2.0 tools.
I feel that some of the obstacles school districts face in integrating web 2.0 tools is the fear factor, but often the fear is caused by the unknown. Administrators are busy, and have so many varied responsibilities, so I think librarians and tech staff can play a significant role in helping their administrators stay on top of, understand, or utilize web 2.0 tools. And I think getting the information out there for administrators helps them make better decisions regarding technology and helps them better support the campus when technology issues arise.
There has been quite a bit of debate in the blogosphere(great discussion here) about whether or not administrators have a duty to be technologically literate, and I don’t have the answer to that question, although I do think it has reached a point where that literacy is very important to a campus moving forward.
And so this is my small attempt to share tools with librarians that particularly may help their administrators who may or may not have an awareness of how web 2.0 tools can help them do their jobs, more effectively, more efficiently, and with more transparency for their district. There are so many excellent models out there to draw upon of administrators using these tools, but as I found when I spoke about this at the TASSP conference here this summer, some administrators haven’t “stumbled upon” them just yet.
This conference falls right at the end of K12 Online, so October promises to be a month filled with much personal learning for me, which is truly energizing. One reason I set up my blog last year around this time was that I was learning more than I could possibly share via any other means, and the blog was a vehicle for not only sharing, but storing things I had learned.
Google is everywhere, and has just added a new, awaited feature to their Google docs services — Google presentations.
Imagine Powerpoint “lite” but with the added element of collaboration, and you get the idea. Imagine how your workflow or that of students is improved if you can collaborate on your presentations ONLINE, simultaneously, instead of via email.
Another interesting feature, just like other Google Docs items, is that you can publish the finished product and Google sends you a link to share it with others.
When you publish it, it brings up a chat window next to the powerpoint. Presumably during a presentation, you could have your audience sign into google, send them your link, and then they could join you and “chat” alongside your presentation while you showed it to the audience. That has some mind-blowing possibilities!
You can also upload existing powerpoint files if they are less than 10 MB. It allows you to present those, and again, “invite” your audience via a link.
It also has some interesting advantages for students, which I’ve outlined in my “first” sample Google presentation.
Tips:
To find Google Docs, log into your Google account, and click on the “more” button at the top of the Google screen, and select Documents.
To create a new presentation, click “new” on the left toolbar, and select the presentation choice.
Ethan Bodnar (a blogging high school senior) has a clever request for people to share photos of what’s on their bookshelves.
He’s created a flickr group for readers to post a photograph of some of their books as a way to illustrate something about themselves. What a great project for students as well!
To help him get started, I’m tagging a few of you to share what’s on your bookshelf. I agree with Ethan that it’s a great way to get to know more about people.
So here’s a shout out to Clay, Kim, Margie, Joyce, Christian(who introduced me to Ethan via his blog), and Diane to share what they are reading! And I hope others of you feel free to leap in on Ethan’s project–I think it’d be terrific to have some students participate!
(My photo above includes some of the books I’m currently reading, but I have to confess, I also have a teetering stack by my bedside of books I’m dipping in and out of. )
An intriguing class is being taught at Pitzer College this fall on YouTube.
Alexandra Juhasz, a media studies professor is offering the course about YouTube and how it impacts art and culture, and the class is filmed and uploaded to YouTube, so anyone in the world can observe the direction of the course. Discussion will be presented via YouTube and students can post video responses to class discussion as part of the class.
The professor points out, “That’s the whole charm of the class. . .It’s about it, and on it.”
Unexpectedly for the professor, the course has gotten a lot of media attention, so even though it is just getting off the ground, it is garnering a lot of scrutiny(that shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise!) And it is interesting watching the class learn ALONG with the professor how to manage the class and to keep up with the content and the attention.
That itself seems like an interesting experiment.
The course sounds fairly student driven, and it is good to see a university course engaging with the deeper sociological discussions about how these web 2.0 tools are affecting our culture or whether or not they are. And it’s interesting to see how the community of the class is building as you watch the class progress; for example, at the end of the video below, you can see how this will bring this class together as a community. I also wonder how the scrutiny and attention will change the class or inhibit or encourage students’ voices as they move through the semester.
I could see a similar approach applied in a high school media or Sociology class, for example, not only to YouTube but to other web 2.0 tools as well. (This would require students having access to the tool involved, obviously, which is problematic in many schools.)
Fascinating experiment. The tag for the course is MS135 or they have set up a YouTube group if you want to see the class videos and responses, (as well as other YouTube responses to their course).
More teasers are up at the K12 online conference site. A reminder if you aren’t familiar that K12 online is an ALL online conference taking place in October, starting with a keynote by David Warlick on October 8.
As for the teaser videos, I’m excited about Dean Shareski’s presentation on design(since I’ve been designing a new library as well, this has been on my mind a lot), and Lani Ritter Hall’s about copyright in the digital age. Their introduction videos are below, and more teasers are here!
I mentioned Twitter during some staff development sessions on Thursday, and found myself struggling to explain how powerful a tool it can be.
