Deanna's Digital Digest

Today we did a WordPress training in Loup City! Great Ladies here today and we are having a GREAT time!

I have had several conversations lately that have triggered some passion from me.  I would like to post my thoughts here.  Remember these are just my thoughts combined with my conversations.  And I would like to hear from YOU as well!

Early in January, I talked to a principal that was really pushing teachers toward technology.  I wouldn’t call him a techie by any means.  He has been putting together the importance of these tools and how it will change, for the better, the way teachers teach and the design of their lessons.  We talked about the importance of being able to teach online whether that is in person or distance.  I wondered about these teachers that are unwilling to see new possibilities.  If funding is no longer available for these small or even medium sized schools in Nebraska, what will Nebraska teachers need to do to keep their jobs?  I think teachers will be needed to teach over video conferencing equipment or through web-based means.  In days gone by, people moved to where the jobs were or the schools were but I don’t think that will happen anymore.  Why should it?  Students even out in the country can receive an internet signal and thus be in contact with educational resources.  What happens if teachers can’t teach this way because their “style” doesn’t work on such a platform anymore?  I worry that teachers will be without a job.

The argument then for school buildings/structures is that being IN schools is better for kids.  Why?  I am aware of teachers now that aren’t getting to know their students both in face-to-face classes and over video conferencing.  Both types are not getting anything out of students and aren’t effective teachers.  But I am not going to rule out distance education because of that one teacher!  Nor am I going to rule out face-to-face education because of the ineffective classroom teachers either.  So what speaks louder than “what is best for students?” MONEY!  If there is no money, there isn’t going to be a building full of teachers that only see 120 students each a day.  The building is going to be full of high definition video conferencing equipment full of teachers that can reach 300+ students each a day.  As these jobless teachers are being escorted out of the buildings you will hear screams of “teaching in-person is best for kids!” And they will still be escorted out of the buildings, if there ARE buildings.  Who needs a building if you don’t have students physically present?  Teach from home in your sweats!!!  Keep in mind, I am just thinking out loud!

So here I am trying to train teachers, specifically on technology.  Technology changes all the time so why  should I teach them how to run a computer if it is going to change?  How can I keep up with that when I have 2500 teachers in my ESU area?  I probably should be training them on how to be a dynamic, effective teacher both in the classroom and across distances.  Instructional design now trumps everything in education (except knowing your students and how they learn best)!  Even the “higher-ups” have been talking about this in other conversations I have had recently!  Teach the teachers how to learn!  That is a great charge for me and I completely believe this is what I need to do.  But change is hard for people.

Yesterday I had Fine Arts teachers in the building.  The purpose was to get them together to share and collaborate.  We showed them the Manhattan School of Music  and how they are using video conferencing for lessons, coaching, concerts and other presentations.  I was in AWE!  It was the coolest thing I have ever seen!  Teachers hang-ups: not in person and too much money ($200-300 for coaching).  So why not do something like that in our own ESU area?  Teacher hang-ups: can’t work out the times, can’t teach art without being in person, audio will be behind.  Change is hard! There ARE teachers that WILL do this though, so those that don’t…. well, think about it.  So if you don’t want to teach ___ over distance because it isn’t good for kids, someone else WILL!  Wouldn’t you like to be the one to do that and do it right?

So in a nutshell, my new focus is on finding and teaching/preaching instructional design.  What makes a good lesson?  What format will work the best for a lesson?  Some of that is hard to teach!  We have to also follow our own preachings as we teach the teachers.

Some of this sounds pretty arrogant maybe but I am truly worried about teachers and their jobs.  There are a lot of good teachers out there that wouldn’t make it in a virtual world.  I keep hearing more and more about virtual school in Nebraska.  That is a distinct possibility!  What will that mean to YOUR school? I also think that school districts boundaries could change.  Why run 15 little local schools when you could combine the budget and administration and run just one district with many smaller buildings? What will THAT do for teachers? Communities?

Now, where do I start….

http://learningscience.org/index.htm

Today I am sitting in on a WordPress workshop with Jason Everett from ESU 10! I have been blogging for awhile but haven’t kept up to date on what Word Press can do. This is pretty cool!

Cooperation. Collaboration. Teamwork. Communities. Personal Learning Networks.  These are all buzzwords in education that we have heard many times in the past.  Now these buzzwords are coming from the rest of the world telling educators that these are skills that they need our students to be able to do as they enter the work force.  Mazano found this to be the sixth most effective strategy in educating our students.  With recent books like “The World is Flat” by Thomas Friedman we are finding that this is a little more than just a strategy for education; it is a vital piece of 21st century students.  To find out more about how to make Cooperative Learning happen in your classroom, check out this Slide Share presentation (http://www.slideshare.net/h3rt1k1/cooperative-learning-492163).  Here are some links that might help with organizing, planning, and building a cooperative classroom!

1. Angel/My eLearning (http://www.myelearning.org/default.asp) – You have probably heard of Blackboard from taking college courses.  Angel is a product that is similar to Blackboard and works great for the K-12 arena.  Angel is a course management system.  Teachers can go from a paper classroom to a digital classroom using this tool.  It is a MUST for schools with distance education programs and with laptops!  Angel allows teachers to deliver and collect materials, give assessments, and give students space to collaborate and share.  This is a subscription web based program.  Call the technology training department for more information!
   
2. Google Docs (http://docs.google.com) – I have included Google Docs before in my “5 Great” lists because I think it is a pretty great tool for all kinds of strategies.  This is a web-based program that contains documents, spreadsheets, and presentation tools.  Because it is web-based, you can get to it on any machine with internet access, anytime.  I think the best feature is the sharing feature.  As many as ten people can work on the same document at the same time without emailing it back and forth to one another.  You can keep track of the changes in the revision history so there is no losing your information with the larger group of editors.  This is ideal for student projects!  Try this out today for yourself!  You will need a free Google account and a buddy to try it out!
   
3. Project Based Learning Checklists (http://pblchecklist.4teachers.org/) – This web site has the tools you need to create your own checklist to ensure students’ achievement and success in all your classroom projects.  These checklists will help you support the project as well as evaluate the student’s project in the end.
   
4. Global Schoolhouse (http://www.globalschoolnet.org/index.cfm) – Looking for a project to do with another classroom around the world?  check out this web site for lists of global projects.  Just sign up and find a project that works for your students and your classroom.  Along with cooperative learning, this is a great way to work on those 21st Century Skills!
   
5. The Jigsaw Classroom (http://jigsaw.org/) – To find out more cooperative learning skills and techniques, visit the Jigsaw Classroom.  This gives some nice tips and tricks to this strategy.