Web 1.0 vs Web 2.0

In the summer session of the ITS program as a part of our study of Activity Structures we created plans for the development of web pages that would be used to build a framework. This framework helps us to keep problems authentic and real, by providing contexts that are used by students to create meaning to their projects.

I developed a web 2.0 project but didn't have a clue how it would actually be built and utilized. Over the course of this final semester I have found a wiki would probably be the best tool for that project. The interactive elements that are a part of most wiki tools would complement this project perfectly. Teachers and students could add the hands on science experiments and start the discussion with ease.

This is not to say that the affordance of web 1.0 tools is low. There are many times when web 1.0 are the right fit. Just not for this project. The interactivity allows for a constantly changing library of content and development of new ideas, it makes the project dynamic and current.

Video Editing

Video editing is a powerful way to demonstrate an idea or an interpretation of a concept. But is the time needed to learn the tool worth it? I do not know. In the last couple of years I have attempted to use video editing in two different lessons. Both ended up taking significantly more time then expected and had mediocre results. The students were unable to make the kinds of content decisions needed to clearly define their ideas. They were not ready to demonstrate what they had learned in an creative way. Perhaps after several times using the video medium they may start to become efficient and competent with the tool. But in an my elementary classrooms with so little time and to much content, spending the time to get the students competent with this tool would limit the amount of content that can be covered.

If we can teach our students to think differently, to envision, plan, and encode their thoughts in ways that are not multiple choice then the time needed to teach video editing will be worth it. I believe there needs to be a lot of development of how students use information to make decisions before video editing can be a tool that is beneficial to the classroom. It is a great goal, and it may work in schools with the right culture. Unfortunately my school community is not ready, we can not create.

Thoughts, Processing, and the Tools we use.

This week the blog post is less specific and more open. I have always had difficulty with more open ended tasks. Even back in High School the research projects were always easier when we were given a topic but twice as difficult when the choice was open. I never really though about why, I just grumbled and went with it. Over the course of the last year and a half in the ITS program I have started to think about it more, not consciously but in the back of my mind. This morning as my kids were watching Croods I read an article through the Google Newsstand app on my phone. The article was from Business Insider and talked about how Steve Jobs viewed tools that enhanced what you can do. It made me think. Which made me think about Larry Cuban's book Oversold and Underused, computers and technology speed up what we can do. We are (sometimes) more efficient using technology but I rarely see anyone changing what they to because they can do different things when they have access to new technologies. Change is hard, change is risky, change takes time to learn, change involves making mistakes and mistakes adds time and more challenges. As teachers this is very hard to embrace, the education system is to high stakes and punishes mistakes and risk taking especially if they fail. This is dangerous to education and society as a whole, if we can't adapt and enhance ourselves with advancements in technology we are going to fall farther and farther behind. As my mother used to say when teaching me how to ski, "if your not falling your not learning."

Our children are growing up doing this, our schools and teachers must do it as well.

Kidblog continues

As I continue this experiment in getting kids to think about their math in text, I am seeing a few different reactions from the kids.  Unfortunately as time get tight it is hard to keep this in place, even though I think it is just as important as the Math games they are playing. 

The students are feeling slighted if we lose track of time and don't get to go to kidblog, they want to do this.  They have asked if they can go and work on the posts first so they have enough time to express themselves.  That was very exciting for me.  So far they have just responded to my posts and have not gotten to the posting of the own posts yet, at least not posting discussion type of posts. A few basic and irrelevant posts have popped up. I approve all the posts and comments as long as they are not derogatory or offensive, to act as a learning tool. But they are making progress towards developing discussion based posts and threads.  Most of the students excited about communicating in this form and I am hopeful that we will be able to sustain this project in a meaningful way. I have still not been able to get the 5th grade project started due to a lack in returned permission forms. It is a time to revisit our approach and get this started.

Social Networking, is there an educational value?

Social Networking, is there an educational value?

It depends on how it is used, but in general yes, there is an educational value to the networking aspect of social networking. Humans are social creatures, we learn together. Social networking is just another digital took that can help facilitate Vygotsky's social constructivism. I can say this with absolute confidence, social networking is good for students and adults. In the last 10 years I have been connected with social networks like MySpace, facebook, twitter, Google+, edmodo, and LINKEDin. Each was for a different purpose and that purpose is what has shaped my view on this topic. 

Twitter, was an exciting network to join. I joined it for the purpose of developing a PLN (professional learning network). I was extremely active there for almost a year before my interest faded. My purpose for joining Google+ was interest based, to make connections based on different interests. I am still extremely active there with 3 or 4 different interest bases, including my education circles. I learn new things from the people I follow there everyday. Edmodo is the network I want to talk about though. Teachers can create their own PLNs but students can network and communicate with each other in a restricted and controllable system. They can share ideas and have digital conversations. The network enables that conversation to take place anywhere anytime, and allows for processing and thinking opportunities for the students. Some of the most powerful learning opportunities I have seen in my school have been part of student to student conversations. The networking system is supplemented by the social media that is omnipresent in the networking environment, but that is not the only learning tool that is associated with social networking. Social networking is not only something that can stimulate learning, it is a tool that should not be ignored in a learning setting.