Halloween 2011 at BMS

Here is an example of using Audioboo. The kids really dove into blogging and commenting and then enjoyed a good old ghost story.

Week 5 Post 2 Yes, Change the Horses Midstream

All teacher have been there. It used to be the killer conference. You would make your subplans and all the correct forms and head off to a big hotel in Manchester or Nashua. If you are lucky, the presenter lights up the conference center. You leave enthused and full of great ideas. Sometimes they work out - sometimes they don't. Most of it had to do with how adaptable the new ideas were. Just because it works somewhere else and is presented well, doesn't mean it is right for your classroom.

Now we have an amazing new tool from technology every week combined with (finally) nationalizing standards.

But that same impulse is there this new thing is so cool - my classes will love it - I'll start using it tomorrow.
That is almost exactly the script I followed when trying wikispaces with my classes.

A First Try at Using Wikis in our Classes

This method works for me - when something new and shiny comes along try it - make it fit with what you are doing - try it - abandon it if it is not going well - reflect and learn from mistakes - and very importantly - ask the kids. They are with you there in the trenches of learning. They are working. They can judge the value of tools in a classroom. I learn so much from open dialog with students.

You don't buy a car based on watching someone else driving it. But you value their opinion.

After reviewing notes and personal recollections, I decide what to keep, what to throw away, and what to add on to. How does an artist know what works without trying some new tools.

Week 5 Blog 1 - Finally, It's Clear...except for all the stuff in the way

Chapter 3 in our book made it even clearer where we should be going. The internet as the platform is transformational. It opens up a whole box of possibilities and problems that we have discussed to death.



I remember when these were cutting edge. You mean, you can get them in colors!?! But label them so you won't have to go through each one...
I actually had one for each kid in my one computer(non-internet) class.







Then the web came and you could get ideas from places like this!
How dated is this website?

Today  is fast-forwarded to the future. Now there is so much technology, so permeated in the world that sometimes it feels like the wild west to an old-timer, like me. You can't bring that in here! Check it at the door.

Now things are coming into focus. I can envision a classroom buzzing with activity. Some students in the hall rehearsing and/or recording vlogs, videos, podcasts, etc. One group discussing/planning a current text. Another group online blogging or commenting on a blog post. Maybe some actually reading and writing, old school style. I see myself walking about after a brief mini-lesson and organizing/focusing moment.
The video below is a little tedious, but opened my eyes to some LA possibilities I hadn't considered.

"Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the prize"

Should I start small or jump all in?

Museum of Science - Boston - October 20, 2011

Who is scarier!

Omni Theater

Ryan

Theater of Electricity

New England Wild Animals

So much fun!!!  ...and learning

Week 4 Blog 2: Posers, Social Loafers, and Trust

I, too, am addicted to google reader and am sure that Diigo will be just as valued. But what I really want to write about is Chapter 4 in Connections.



For my first online class I was the poser. I pretended to be interested while really not putting in all the reading and work.Part of it was the structure of the class. We sort of had to try to get the attention of the instructor for approval. This was several years ago and understanding of  best practices has evolved into classes like this one.
Another part of the chapter that struck was social loafing. While I am a practicing social loafer, I didn't know we had a name.Is there a diigo group? A quick Google search lead me to an abstract for a 1913 study by the US Army that found the greater number of people asked to pull some weight on a rope, the less productive the group was. More members more of the group felt they could slack. People felt more connected and engaged in smaller groups. Lots of applications to a classroom or even a faculty setting. I have sat in many large staff meeting and felt disengaged, while our smaller grade level meetings are much more productive. Worthy of more thought...

Interesting Article

Lastly, I come to trust again.

Yes, we could go crazy with lots of Aladin and trust analogies. Who is he really? Jafar as poser. Can you really trust a rug and a monkey? Soaring to exciting places... A whole new world...

Sorry -

Skype and the other ways we communicate in this class really make for a professional and diligent learning community. Posers and slackers have fewer places to hide. I have a feeling of trust here.
I am proud of the school we work in because we try to build those relationships with kids. Teachers who see the potential of advisory really put the effort in to get to know their kids. Even if it doesn't get us out of the SINI bin, at least those kids will have the memory of the teacher who knew them and believed in him/her.

Week 4 Blog 1 - You want me to what?

Above is a picture of me (ok, my ears are bigger than this high paid model), just before giving up the last of my fears and doubts. The PBS video made it hard to hold on to them anymore.
Doubt - Kids won't work on online assignments at home.
Answer - This recent wiki page activity showed that many would when it was optional. What if it required?
Doubt - The parents won't want them on the computer so much.
Answer - We can make time at school, or parents can limit all their screen time at home, or they can do the alternative assignments.

PTA Guidelines

Fear - Not many kids have internet access.
Answer - The wide majority do have internet and the others can do the alternate assignments.
Fear - Using Blogs for assignments will leave children unprotected online.
Answer - Safe Blogging Tips - Help parents through these fears by following these tips.

BTW - Does anyone know a secure place for kids to write and respond online? Something like Blogger, but more kid-friendly?

Doubt - There will be so many obstacles that it won't be worth.
Answer - Keep your eyes on the Prize.

From our classroom

Some Videos I might use to educate kids and parents.

Week 3 Blog 2 - Tito, Teambuilding, and VLCs

Chapter 2 has plenty of resonance for me. The Red Sox manager being fired because the team didn't care enough. I really admire Terry Francona for the class he exhibited as he left, consistently saying that he was responsible, if the team underachieved. Different classes and teams that I have worked with - never "came together". I have read several books and attended many workshops and conferences for teaching and coaching. I will lik to some of my favorites below. Some of the common threads about getting a group to reach its potential keep resurfacing. "Groups, or cohorts, are just collections of individuals. Learning communities happen when those groups transcend the normal boundaries of purpose and engagement. They become something special, something more, and this is at least partly due to recognizing a collective ownership of their learning." So how to transcend? Some qualities, listed below, are all valid and important. hospitable forgiveness authentic resilient multifaceted boundaries life cycles But the goal quality for any group that really wants to perform is:An Oldie, But a Goodie Trust If you have experienced a group with it, you always remember it. You feel stronger. You work harder. You are willing to sacrifice. Our VLC seems to be trustworthy. Teachers tend to be idealistic and "team players". Play ball!