I was in a committee meeting yesterday about social networking. This was a timely meeting because I have been thinking lately about how to begin implementing this tool into my classes successfully. I have been doing my research by joining groups and beginning my own network. I have also had students explore this tool (Ning to be exact) and begin creating a community. It has been an interesting experience. My question remains, how can we begin to walk over the bridge from network to social networking community? Community is the operative word here.
Just the other day a friend sent me an email with a youtube link. ‘Oh, you have to view this video; it is a great video of a camel performing amazing feats – dressage’. To put this in context, I enjoy equestrian sports, my friends and family know this about me. I guess you can call them my social network. We share, collaborate, and communicate about like-minded things. A camel doing dressage is just one of those like-minded things that we collaborate and socialize around and about. We are tied into this community.
I often wonder how I can incorporate these social networks successfully in my classroom environment. I often ponder what would be strong and binding for my students to continually draw them into the community and get them to stick there. We all know that social networks cannot be forced but instead they must be joined and experienced. How can this connection have a collaborative feeling and at the same time be educational. I guess I leave you with my open thoughts at this point until I venture further.
I was playing around with the tool VoiceThread and enjoyed myself immensely. The idea of Web 2.0 is exciting. I love the ability to create and share content with the masses. VoiceThread is such a tool, it allows you to create presentations and then allows others to comment directly onto them. The comments can be text, video, or voice. Imagine the possibilities of this tool in an online classroom. Imagine providing opportunities for your students to post a presentation that they have worked hard creating. Imagine if your students then receive feedback or input from a global audience. Imagine.
This is knowledge creation and sharing of content at its best.
I was reading an article this morning in ISTE’s Technology and Learning journal for November that caught my eye. Well actually, two articles caught my eye and I thought I would share them with you. In both articles technology is emphasized as a tool to support and challenge learners. Technology is not a standalone device that is seen as the center of learning but instead a tool that is enhanced by solid teaching strategies.
The first article is Digital Storytelling by Regina Royer and Patricia Richards. Within the article the authors identify 16 strategies that have been found to enhance reading comprehension in students. These strategies include active listening, cooperative learning, fluency, graphic organizers, mental imagery, question asking, reciprocal teaching, sequencing, summarizing, and vocabulary. These strategies are incorporated into the five pillars of effective reading which is outlined by the National Reading Panel. The authors tie these strategies into content goals, scaffolding, and multimedia literacy.
Many tools popped into my head when I read this article. Below are a few.
The second article is about technology professional development. It is entitled, Staff Development Café Style (PDF), by Jennifer Arns. I love this title. What a warm cozy feeling you get just from the title. I am already imaging the smell of fresh brewed coffee and pastries just waiting for me to dig in and enjoy. I am sitting with friends discussing issues of the day and we are sharing our solutions and or providing suggestions. Hey, this is a great idea for a technology professional development session isn’t it. It involves collaboration, excitement, and a supportive environment where tools and ideas can be shared and tried.
What a great idea.
My Leadership class continued to work on their professional learning community last night.A wiki has been created to help each member of the class work together as a collaborative group in forming their purpose and goals for this community for teachers. We are in the first stages of this community development.
The discussion was good with many questions and ideas flowing. It is a tough task to collaborate when ideas are disparate and goals are a little cloudy. This will soon change, once each student begins to research the idea of an online professional learning community they will begin to settle in on specific goals and guidelines. Keep track of their progress at their project wiki.
On this note of collaboration I ran across the WikiEducator site. This is a resource that provides content and vast opportunities for discovery and participation. I have created an account and cannot wait to explore this resource further in the days ahead.
Another found wiki site is the EduPlan site. A site that explores the planning stages of creating 21st century learning environments for a school district. What a great resource and tremendous idea!
On another note, I got a comment a few weeks ago about feeding my student blogs into one central location so I would not have to search around to read each posting. Thanks for this terrific comment and offer for help. I have found bloglines which helps feed my blogs into one central location so I have only one place to look for student postings. If there is another tool that does this well, please share with me. There are a few kinks with bloglines but overall I have found it to be sufficient.
My Educational Technology Leadership students this semester are going to explore social networks by digging in and creating a professional learning community around a topic that is of interest to them and to their fellow colleagues. The topic will be, integrating technology into a classroom to enhance teaching and learning.
This is an eclectic group of students. Each are teachers from all disciplines and grade levels. Because of this eclectic group this endeavor promises to be interesting. It is a new experience for everyone in the class so there may be a few kinks in the road but as educators we believe that it will be worth your time and effort. Please join and as we begin developing the forums please participate.
Be prepared to discuss issues, technology tools, curriculum integration, and other topics that relate to leadership issues involving technology in our schools.
I am happy with this first phase of the Wikibook project. Each student in the online Information Literacy course participated by researching, writing, ultimately conveying this new found information in an interactive and visual manner. Not to mention, each student learned how to work with wikibooks itself, within a relatively short period of time. This activity provided good experience on many levels but definitely it highlighted information literacy skills in our digital age. Future classes will work on this book by adding to it and ensuring that the content is relevant, accurate, and timely.
Lately, I have been juggling classes, writing a book, finishing a grant, and trying to have just a bit of a summer. I am not sure I have achieved my last task - a bit of a summer - but, I am hanging on in the hopes that I will get one soon. I have, though, had a terrific summer as classes go. My students in my instructional technologies course are producing interesting, creative, and engaging activities and products that can be easily transferred to their present or future classrooms. Most of my students are trying new tools and doing so by combining personal interests. How terrific is that. In this way, students will begin to learn something new and foreign to them and then, when comfortable, apply these lessons learned into their classroom.
For example, a student created a flickr photostory of a process - making brownies.
My information literacy course is beginning to combine their hard work and effort into their wikibook. They as a class are learning a lot about wikibooks - style, formatting, coding, etc. - as well as, working as a team to create an interactive book. This is a difficult task but one that each student is accomplishing very well.
I just heard about a Web site designed and maintained to get the community involved with public schools. How powerful. This is what collaboration is all about.
The site is based on the premise that the community should be involved with and in schools. The school community should share specific needs and the community at large should get involved to help fulfill them. This idea created by Dave Eggers and aided by Hot Studio is a great one. Take a few moments to explore. Most importantly get involved and spread the word!
Dave Eggers talk at this years TED conference
Take a look at this great collaborative community. The goal is to have 1,000 transformative projects within the year. Let’s help!
