Not So Distant Future

How are our online conversations part of our own learning?

I’ve been loosely participating in the 31 Day Comment Challenge, (which is an effort to focus on improving blog comments through various activities.)  

It’s been a little bit of a learning curve for me to figure out how to use coComment, which is the tool we are using, but by joining the 31 day challenge group, and then backtracking to blog post’s other participants have been commenting on, I’ve discovered a number of bloggers I had never read before and have been gradually widening my reading circle. 

And some of the activities, like yesterday’s Five on Five,  intrigue me in terms of doing them with students.   (The challenge is to respond to five blog posts in five minutes).  I think this activity would help break through the ice for those teachers or students “shy” about responding to blog posts, somewhat like a writing “fluency” activity that English teachers use.  (Though reasonably, maybe it should be Five in Ten, to be feasible!)  And of course, the point of commenting isn’t generally to comment just to comment, but sometimes it does take some steps to get students or teachers over that hurdle to try making a comment.

A teacher at our campus, Bill Martin, pondered this idea of helping students with commenting during a recent workshop we did.   He wondered how to help students move from commenting that was somewhat “parallel” where they engaged with the blog post, but not with the other comments, and how to help them engage in more of a conversation.   I think creating a challenge like the 31 day Comment Challenge (a simplified version possibly) to help students “practice” and develop their conversational abilities in writing might be a valuable way to ease them into blogging.

Reflections

As for reflections on my own blog, I notice that sometimes my posts aren’t invitational enough to comments, or don’t seem to be.   So I’ve been pondering how the way I write posts might enter into that.  (Although I don’t think this is the entire reason–many excellent bloggers don’t have a wealth of “commenters” but have many readers, of course!)     But I think about posts that sort of challenge an idea, or throw a question out, or challenge the accepted thinking, or generate controversy, and how those posts are written.

Clearly, the point of blogging isn’t purely to “receive” comments, but there is a lot of learning in the discussions and exchange that can happen.  So that is why I’ve been reflecting about this.    And as we start our blog for our new professional learning community, I want our blog to be a place where everyone involved feels like an active part of it and comfortable either posting or commenting, so I’ve been pondering the invitational-ness (is that a word) of the writing I do there.  

So some questions…

Are there particular writing styles that invoke comments?  If you read this blog and don’t comment, is there a reason?  I’d love to hear feedback.  

Is it because you prefer just reading?  Or that you don’t tend to comment on blogs in general?  Or don’t have time, but enjoy reading?  Or is it the style of some posts that don’t seem to require comment?  Or you think that you have nothing to add(though I’m sure each of you does!)     Or other reasons?   Even if you don’t usually comment here, I’d love to have input or reflection on your commenting habits, and perhaps relating to this blog in particular if you feel so moved. 

 Skype seems to be the tool of choice for creating more global connections for educators.   It’s excellent for quickly contacting experts in other school districts, for joining in workshops as a guest speaker, for coordinating plans between presenters who live in different cities, and for coordinating global education projects, etc.

But some school districts have concerns about the software on the network.  (including mine). 

  We know many of the educational benefits of Skype–we have used Skype to skype in an author for a virtual author visit with our sophomore English classes, used it to Skype in several great speakers to our District Leadership team meeting, and used it within the district to communicate across the street with our learning center in answering a reference question.   

I know that some reservations can be handled with careful policies–such as having teachers initiate any use of it, using generic “skype names” when having students participate (like our author visit), using polite protocol, like asking permission ahead of time before Skyping someone, etc.   I share some ideas for that in an article I wrote a few months ago for School Library Journal on how we used Skype for our author visit.

But since it’s free and the main tool used by many schools involved in global projects and communication, it’s hard to easily replace with another one(which might involve cost for the other end user or involve them downloading and installing other software.)

I also think that it’s important to balance the needs of student learning in this 21st century environment with the issues of any network, risk vs. safety as Tim Stahmer has mentioned before.  Sometimes those things come into conflict, but I’m hopeful that there are “third ways” to solve some of those conflicts, by using best practices.

So I’d like to take a general survey out there and ask for comments about the use of Skype in schools.

There are concerns in our district and elsewhere about how Skype runs on a network, so it’d be helpful if any of you “techie types” or network administrators respond to that concern.  But I’d also be interested in knowing more about educational uses you’ve had for the tool.

Thanks ahead of time for the feedback!

 Lee Wilson has an interesting post on managing information overload that has spurred my thinking of late.   The premise is that we no longer really have to “save” and “store” information, magazines, etc., because we can look things up easily when we need them if we have good information search strategies.

As I’ve been weeding our library the last few weeks prior to our upcoming renovation, thinking about this post has made me a little more ruthless in what I discard, in the realization that of course, students too will be looking first online, so there’s not the need there used to be to keep certain barely used books “just in case” there is a future information need.

Further, his post (and our lengthy renovation) spurred me to apply some organizational tools to my own work flow.  I’m still working through rethinking that, but one thing I did was look for a tool to manage the vast number of sticky notes that tend to accumulate on my desk. 

Stickies is the handy little program I’ve found to keep sticky notes on your desktop (and yes, I know the Mac has had this for awhile).    You can add floating notes that reside on your desktop, file them, sort them, color them, etc.    I’m already finding it a helpful way to keep up with what I need to do, and there are a lot of positive benefits–my desk is neater, I’m saving paper, and it feels great when I can delete a note because I’ve completed the task.

Next, I’ll be rethinking some magazine subscriptions at Wilson’s suggestion, since shuffling articles I want to finish reading  is the next source of clutter on my desk; though I’m not sure I’ll follow all the suggestions, because I do like some serendipity!

In a follow-up post, Wilson also shares an excellent list of websites with tools to help manage work efficiency that are well worth exploring. 

image credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/indieink/1420629617/

In keeping with the conversations (Karl Fisch, Wes Fryer, Doug Johnson, myself, and others) going on around the blogosphere about filtering, access, and social networking in schools, I wanted to share this excellent toolkit from YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) entitled “Teens and Social Networking in School and Public Libraries.”

The toolkit has ideas appropriate for librarians or technology staff on productive uses of social networking, how to share these tools with parents, etc., and is a great example of a proactive and positive approach. 

In addition, YALSA has an excellent wiki of resources, links, and articles about positive uses of social networking tools — though this was created with DOPA in mind, there are some excellent articles and links here, including a clever Slideshare called “Who would Jane Austen friend?”

Knowing where to find helpful materials on this issue to support each school’s efforts to have a constructive policy in place is part of the solution.  Please continue to share other materials you are aware of as well!

Update:  Shortly after posting this, I ran across a study that Patrick Higgins posted on his blog about the positive effects of blogging on student writing, so I thought I’d add it here since that is part of this conversation.

  I’ve been following a number of posts the last couple of weeks about internet filtering and the erratic application of it in schools, and the frustrations of teachers just wanting to share fascinating new ways of learning with their students.

Karl Fisch did an excellent job of pulling some of those threads together in his post, “More Thoughts on Filtering.”   I’ve been really thinking about this issue and how we can all develop better practices regarding internet filters, and what that might look like.

As a librarian, the idea of intellectual freedom for students and staff is ingrained in my nature.   The American Library Association has a strong policy on intellectual freedom, which incidentally was passed in 1953 (hardly a time when this idea was popular).

ALA quotes the  National Research Council whose report insightfully points out:

“Swimming pools can be dangerous for children. To protect them, one can install locks, put up fences, and deploy pool alarms. All these measures are helpful, but by far the most important thing that one can do for one’s children is to teach them to swim.”

 So, what can we do?  Some ideas(feel free to add to these):

1.  Create a committee to collaborate on the filtering decision-making process.  While the day-to-day decisions will probably have to be made by one person, the general policy decisions can be reviewed quarterly to make sure that the responsibility for the decision making is shared.  This removes pressure from one individual, as well as taking into account differing philosophies and experience in the district.   (I think such a committee should include teachers, tech directors, librarians, an administrator, IT people, etc.)   Gathering all the parties also has the added benefit of starting a shared conversation about technology use.

2.  Develop a quick and timely process for responding to teacher requests for unfiltering sites.  If the process is not timely, teachers will “give up,” thus essentially “censoring” the site.

3.  Advocate a professional approach for staff.  It is likely to be appropriate to provide less filtering to staff than to students.  Most filters allow for this.  No more than we would penalize an entire class for 2 misbehaving students should we penalize an entire staff or student body for a few who do not observe the AUP policies.

4.  Understand that there is a difference between classroom management and filtering. (This is part of the purpose of having a committee approach or a process for unfiltering sites.)   If students are misusing computer resources, this is a discipline problem, not cause to discipline all students by filtering a site.   If students are giggling and hiding a book on sex education in each other’s backpacks as a joke, I don’t remove it for the whole campus.   I deal with those students.

5.  Develop a policy and atmosphere that treats students and staff with respect.  Again, the majority of your students and staff deserve that.

6.  Become very familiar with the laws involved.  For example, the law does allow for the filter  to be unblocked so teachers can use sites for bona fide research.  In how many districts is this policy not being followed?   or is so time consuming and slow that the point of need passes? 

7.  Promote the idea of intellectual freedom on your campus.   Your librarian can be an ally in that.

If we want to be sure that students are protected by “learning how to swim,” rather than by us putting up fences (that they can climb), then it is up to all of us to help our campuses seek out best practices regarding internet filtering.

Other ideas?

image credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/sis/410523571/

 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.

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? 

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.

When I first saw the iPhone, I was so excited, because I started thinking that this will be the device(or one close to it) that will be the portable device for our students for classroom use.

Today’s release of some new Apple products, including the iPod Touch (basically an iPhone without the phone part, or an iPod with internet) makes me think that day is one day closer.

 I recently watched a fascinating interview that Robert Scoble did with computer science professor Eliot Soloway, which Dean Shareski had featured on his blog.  Soloway ran away with the idea that the cell phone is the device of the future. 

My husband told me today that people at work were talking about the new, free Google phone.    I look it up, and voila–it’s about to be released in 2008, according to this.

Now why would all of this be exciting to a librarian?  Because the notion that people can inexpensively and readily have access to information, resources, online books, wikis, blogs, from wherever they are, is fascinating to me.   Will libraries and what we do continue to change because of this?  Sure we will.   Do we need to be planning ahead for these changes?  Sure we do.  

But part of being a librarian is all about access and helping people have access to information.   Libraries began as a way to help people have access to information.  So the concept that people will have more and more choices for doing that is a huge positive.

Will classrooms also change because of this?  Sure they will.

For example, we’ve been struggling a bit on campus with lacking enough  classroom computers for student use.  Imagine if we handed five of the  iPod Touch to each teacher for their class–less expensive, wireless devices that are portable and can go outside for a science experiment or on a field trip?

We have an increasingly important job helping students be savvy users of information, savvy with email, savvy at protecting their privacy, and savvy about their networks.  We can’t really know what the device is going to be, but when information is available on demand, all the time, to everyone (across the digital divide), then we need them to be prepared and wise users of that information.

The other good news in today’s announcement?–now that the price of the iPhone has gone down, I can get one!

Image credit:  Sullivan, Justin.  Getty Images

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20607455/displaymode/1176/rstry/20606900/

Microsoft announced their release next week of a new suite of software services, meant to compete with web software like Google Docs, etc. offer.  

If I am understanding it correctly, some tools will be free(like a photo sharing tool which sounds similar to Picasa from Google), and some will be ones that Microsoft charges for.   One of the downsides I see already for schools is that it sounds as though the tools have to be downloaded to the users’ computer.

One of the beauty of many of the web apps, (not all) is that they can be used online.  So if a student has an older, slower computer, they can still use them.

A couple of items they are rolling into Microsoft Live that I wasn’t aware of are Skydrive(which allows online storage space–which would be a huge help for students), and FolderShare(which allows folders to be shared computer to computer).

It’ll be interesting to see how these tools play out.  Personally, since Windows and Vista are often fraught with errors and security risks, I’m not sure I’m eager to download more tools from Microsoft onto my own computer.   And I wonder if the dance they are doing to “protect” their paid software, like Excel and Word, will limit what they can offer for free online–negating their competition with Google Docs.

One good element of the new tools, however, is that you can pick and choose which ones to download.  So students or schools could mix and match tools like Google Docs or MSN’s choices.