I was fortunate enough today to have been part of a panel discussion at the PASBO conference in Hershey, PA. The topic dealt with AUP's and how to have them work for everyone. On the panel were an attorney, a well-respected local tech director, and myself.
A couple items of note from that discussion. First, it was pointed out by the attorney that the CIPA laws have only to do with money. Failure to meet CIPA requirements means only that your Federal funds are in jeopardy. There are no punitive consequences associated with it. He also said that the CIPA laws are very clear about their intentions (although I wouldn't necessarily agree with them being clear) in that they deal specifically with material that would be deemed pornographic. So, those folks who cite CIPA as a reason for blocking wikis and blogs and Google docs are, at best, mistaken.
The attorney also reminded those in attendance that some of the issues that they voiced concern about fell under the category of disciplinary issues and NOT legal issues. (Did you hear me cheering?) OH, how I wish several school administrators and tech directors I know could have been there to hear that. It was very clear to me, at least, that he was saying that many of their fears were unfounded.
We had a good discussion about students bringing in their own equipment to school and using their data phones in school, etc. One person even wondered if that would, in fact, further worsen the digital divide between the have's and have not's. I suggested that a district could furnish laptops to those who didn't have one at home to make it a one-to-one district and do it for a LOT less than what they're currently spending to put enough computers in the schools. And, the fact that they weren't replaced more than every 5 or 6 years wasn't an issue, since they're not typically doing heavy processor work. Web browsing, word processing, etc. I'm certainly not the first to suggest that, but I do agree with it.
My final comment was (something like) this: "What we're doing in our schools is of monumental importance. I believe that our very global status as a nation is at stake. We ALL want our students to be able to compete in a global marketplace and to be digitally literate. Our own children are in these schools. There is a difference between the mindsets that would use CIPA as an excuse NOT to do something, and working aggressively - and that's the key word, AGGRESSIVELY, WITH the CIPA laws to provide the network, the tools, and the environment in which we can create digitally literate citizens. Our students and our nation deserve nothing less."
Well, at least that's what I had written down to say. How it came out may have been a little different. You know how that goes when you hold a mic to your face. :-)
very nice - especially if you've got several pages with pictures. Turns your pdfs into a magazine-like document, complete with sound effects when you turn the pages. :)
"Originally published by the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (ECAR): Mark R. Nelson, “E-Books in Higher Education: Nearing the End of the Era of Hype?” ECAR Research Bulletin, vol. 2008, issue 1 (January 8, 2008). Reprinted by permission of ECAR and the author. Mark R. Nelson is an ECAR Fellow and the Digital Content Strategist for the National Association of College Stores (NACS)."
"Online Resource Centres are developed by Oxford University Press and its authors to provide students and lecturers with ready-to-use teaching and learning resources. In order to help you make your teaching more efficient and learning more effective, content from the Online Resources Centres of selected textbooks is available to adopting lecturers as one single Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)-compatible file."
The wiki for the Flatclassroom Summit held this year in Mumbai, India. Check this out. Follow the links to the ustream archives and listen to the reflections of the participating teachers. You don't have to go to Mumbai to have your own flatclassroom project. As Thomas Friedman says, "If it's not happening, it's because you're not doing it."
This site offers a growing bank of imaginative, highly visual teaching-aids developed for use with interactive whiteboards in 11-18 Schools.
The resources are designed to be used as rich sources of visually stimulating material, making use of both animations and drag and drop interactivity. The appropriate Key Stage is indicated for each resource. "
I was just talking with a CFF (Classrooms for the Future) coach yesterday and this is the scenario he used for a project with his Social studies students. The 9th grade students were divided into groups, with members coming from different classes. That forced them to use discussion forums, etc to communicate. They had studied the various Dynasties of China and this was their final project that the students built in a wiki.
"Imagine you are members of a team of lawyers for a large law firm. The team is 20-25 freshmen, and the law firm is your freshman class. What is at stake is control of the most populated and up and coming world power on the planet - CHINA! China's history is rich and extensive with accomplishments. Your job is to prepare a court document arguing why your dynasty is the greatest dynasty to ever rule China and deserves to rule China. Your team members are other lawyers from Mr. XXXXXXs, Mr. YYYYY's, Mr. ZZZZZ’s, and Mr. AAAAAA’s classes.
The whole reason for going to court is because other groups think your dynasty does not deserve to rule China. They want their dynasty to have the right to rule China and they are going to try and discredit your group’s dynasty. So along with pointing out your dynasties accomplishments, you must also defend potential accusations others may make against your dynasty and why your dynasty doesn’t deserve to rule China.
There are 3 important details that you, as lawyers, should remember:
Communicate with your team so everyone is on the same page when you present your document to the court.
You must have credible evidence, so your team MUST create a bibliography page.
Also, while you have access to all the same evidence, you do not have access to other teams’ arguments – your argument is protected under attorney-client privilege. Any discussion forum or wiki you click on leaves a history that your judges view. Be careful, because any evidence of "spying" or tampering will lead to severe penalties.
This is a massive and important case. Trillions of dollars and billions of people are at stake. Lawyers cannot change the history of their clients. All they can do is represent them to the best of their abilities to try and win their case." Students had access to Graphic organizers, discussion forums, Google Docs, and many other tools of the web. (From what I could see their filter is very reasonable.)
I liked the idea that the students were in groups with students from other classes to force them to communicate frequently online. I also liked the fact that this wasn't just a Multiple Choice test, but an assignment that forced them to think critically about not only their Dynasty but the others, as well. They had to be able to do more than just gather one liners.
What level of the new Bloom's taxonomy does this reach? What "21st Century Skills" must the students use to accomplish their task? And, what might you have done to enhance the lesson a bit? What tools would you be certain that the students knew how to use?
I'm sure the teachers who were involved would love to hear your thoughts on the assignment. That's how we learn and grow, right?
When folks lament to about the fact that blogs and wikis are blocked at school, or that teachers don't have access to youtube for teaching, etc, I always say, "It's not a question of IF they will be unblocked, just WHEN they will be unblocked." And, for some reason, 2010 feels like the year when that will happen.
I think there are lots of reasons for it, too. First, the year itself just sounds… futuristic, doesn't it? Twenty ten. It feels as though the world has come into the age that we've been reading about for so long. "The future is here", sort thing. And with that comes an awakening and a realization that is somehow different from previous years. It's time, now, to act differently. Does anyone else feel that, too?
Another reason that I think this year will mark the year of change for schools is that the current economic slump has shocked folks into an awareness that we're not invincible. We're VERY vulnerable to the effects of global pressures and personal greed, and in this very interconnected world, one person can shock the world's economy into disaster. Who would have thought someone like Bernie Madoff, one man, could cause such total world chaos? Yet, he did, and it is being felt hard in some areas, and it's disaster in others. That kind of event shocks folks into new ways of thinking, and in the world of education I just have a feeling that it's going to mean that folks are going to be more aggressive in how they offer tools and resources to our youth. It's criminal to stand in the way of that, in my humble opinion. (IMHO)
As for those who are blocking blogs, nines, wikis, etc, I really feel that this year - 2010 - will have folks reflecting on those tools a bit more and coming to the conclusion that they're not the evil that they were once perceived to be. In fact, they're becoming rather "old school" - which is when many schools begin to use them. Rather than using tools that are current and exciting, many schools wait until they are past their prime, and then slowly adopt them. That's not to say that blogs have lost their value as a teaching tool. Not at all. There is still real value, I think, in writing for authentic audiences instead of just the teacher. It's just that it's not new and fresh as it once was. Time to adopt. There is NOTHING to be afraid of.
In 2010, if a district doesn't have a filter in place that gives teachers different access from students, then there is something VERY wrong going on there. According to this site teachers in PA with Masters degrees are among the top 10% educated adults in the state. Yet, they are treated with the same disrespect and distrust as the students. The same folks who would be permitted to take 30 students to Europe for a week cannot be trusted to use appropriate youtube videos in class? Nope, I think 2010 will see an end to that insulting practice in MANY MANY districts.
Finally, I (want to) believe that this year will be the year in which teachers face up to their digital illiteracy and begin to do what is necessary to update those skills. No longer will our computer teachers be permitted to purchase textbooks on Powerpoint. That will stop. Instead, those teachers will begin to take seriously the changes in the world that go so far beyond powerpoint, and then they'll begin to build their curriculums around them. Classroom teachers will begin to realize that knowing the url for google doesn't make them computer savvy, and they'll begin to take ownership for their skills and work hard to update them. Librarians, too, will stop worrying solely about the bookshelves and begin to take seriously the idea of information management. The disconnect between the libray and the world will begin to disappear in earnest.
Let's face it, when kids come to school with more technology in their pockets (smartphones) than they access to during their entire day in the classroom, that classroom has become irrelevant. Not the content, but the way in which it is being taught. Some would take issue with that. But, ask yourself this, "If THIS isn't the year that you begin to teach with tools that are current, then when IS? How long can you ignore the realities of technology? Another two years? Five years? Ten?" No, the answer is, you cannot ignore it. Not for another second. It's time to let go of Clarisworks. Let go of animated bulleted PowerPoint. Time to help the students learn to use the tools that will help them learn.
Twenty ten. 2010. It just FEELS like the future, doesn't it? And, it feels like it's going to be exciting.
Y' know, I just LOVE learning. I learn so much from my PLN every day. Today, for example, I was going through the email from my Diigo groups, and I was pointed to this video (below). In that same email someone had shared this site with a pdf called, "The Complete Guide to Internet Searching", a nice screencast of someone using a Google Form to give a quiz, a site (LoutLit.org) (Fixed - Thanks Mr Oneal :) ) that is "public domain literature paired with high quality audio performances", and MANY more wonderful sites. I LOVE Diigo!
But, this video caught my eye to share it with you, too. Watch it and see if you aren't blown away by this vision of the Internet. What will it mean to be a digitally literate person THEN? And, will our schools be of ANY value whatsoever in helping our students be ready for this world? (Will they be ALLOWED to?)
Share this with your science teachers. Maybe it's just me, but this kind of stuff is just So difficult to comprehend. There are a few animations out there that do a nice job in trying to help one grasp the concept of the vastness of space. And, the images from the Hubble spacecraft never cease to boggle my mind. This video, from the American Museum of Natural History, is one that you should see. Share it with your students, too.
The viewer starts at the Himalayan mountains, and then goes further and further into space until.. well, until the distances are no longer meaningful, at least to me. Then it returns. The round trip will SURE to impress.
"What are going to be the top Internet trends of 2010? As every end of the year, influential bloggers, opinion leaders and media experts look inside their crystal balls to foresee what will be hot and where the market is headed in the following year. In this MasterNewMedia guide you will find the best 2010 predictions from the web. "
GroupTweet turns a standard Twitter account into a group communication hub where members can post updates to everyone in the group using direct messages. When the group account receives a direct message from a group member, GroupTweet converts it into a tweet that all followers can see.
"Layar is a free application on your mobile phone which shows what is around you by displaying real time digital information on top of reality through the camera of your mobile phone.
Layar is a global application, available for the Iphone 3GS, T-Mobile G1, HTC Magic and other Android phones in all Android Markets. It also comes pre-installed on the Samsung Galaxy in the Netherlands.
How do you use Layar? By holding the phone in front of you like a camera, information is displayed on top of the camera display view.
For all points of interest which are displayed on the screen, information is shown at the bottom of the screen. "
Shared today on another list, this has some excellent, vintage footage from the NBC channel, Time Capsule. Note that you can advance to the next video in the bottom left corner. You may have to watch from home, but many are well worth it.
Create a "binder" full of bookmarked sites that then show up as tabs and sub-tabs. The binder gets one url to share. Nice way of packaging a collection of sites. Like this one about google: http://livebinders.com/play/play/3803
Now THIS is a VERY cool idea. Send someone a link. They click the link and open an app that allows them to record their screen. When they finish they click stop and it gets uploaded to the web and an email is sent to you with a link to a playback page. Watch it there or download it. Now folks can show you exactly what they're doing "wrong."
I don't know why I'm bookmarking this. I STILL don't like Prezi. But, for those who do, an Education license to be able to create private Prezi's. (Now we can get motion sickness in private?) :)
A HUGE list of class blogs. When you're fighting the good fight to get blogs unblocked, point them to this. Er... this is a blog, too. Well, they can look at the list at home.
