SXSWedu

In March, I had the opportunity to attend the SXSWedu conference in Austin, TX. Overall, the conference was an amazing opportunity to engage in sessions, workshops, hands on experiences, and networking among other educators committed to the future of teaching and learning. The #SXSWedu conference is one of the top learning and innovation conferences available. From my experience, this was immediately evident from: the quality of sessions and presenters (think TED talk quality), the variety of formats available (see image below), and the powerfully inspiring keynotes. Dr. Temple Grandin’s keynote, Helping Different Kinds of Minds Solve Problems. Dr. Grandin’s keynote still has me evaluating my work with our students and hoping I do not miss opportunities to support students with some degree of spectrum condition. As the organizers of the  #SXSWedu put it, the conference is “inspired by a diverse lineup of visionary speakers, compelling sessions, and networking opportunities.”

If you would like to get a sense of other participant’s “takeaways” from the conference, search on Twitter for the hashtag #SXSWedu. You will find people still commenting on the impact of the conference and how it relates to teaching and learning. Also consider a general Google News search and read what education journalist say about the conference - here is one from USA today I retweeted recently. For a sense of the offerings and the scale/scope of the conference, please browse the program guide. Looking through these sources should make evident that #SXSWedu is not a tech conference, it is an opportunity to learn about education.

When describing this conference to colleagues, I find it important to share the structure of how the conference is delivered. The image below (from the SXSWedu program guide) provides an overview of the variety of formats and session formats available. Couple this with 15 different thematic tracks and concurrent sessions and you end up with one fantastic dilemma - having to choose a session among many great options! The difficult choices between all the engaging and interesting topics available was similar to my childhood days with only $.05 in my pocket and making a tough decision regarding which candy would be the lucky one.

Planning and Implementation - Teachers, Students, and Curriculum

“Efficient people do things right, effective people do the right thing.” Dr. Juan Baughn

During a visit to Penn State Great Valley last summer, Dr. Baughn talked about his experiences in making difficult decision that were right for the students but not efficient for the school. Efficient makes life easy for the institution and the instructor, but it does not always translate into the right thing for the student. When considering the topic of planning and implementation of instruction with technology, I believe that the instruction and technology we implement must achieve what is right for the student.

When it comes to choosing a web 2.0 technology (that is not blocked by a school) as a tool for instruction, many of the decisions related to the technology are left to the individual teacher. For instance, the choice of what tool should be implemented, what students should be expected to do with the technology, how they should interact with the technology, and how their experience with the technology should be evaluated, are primarily left up to the instructor. Unlike curriculum, web 2.0 tools are at the discretion of the teacher and the configuration of the network. This creates a great responsibility for the instructor. If an instructor chooses a web 2.0 tool that does not align with a curriculum, the possibility exists for reducing the validity and effectiveness of the curriculum. This current state of free choice leads me to wonder if the implementation of web 2.0 instructional tools should be under the supervision of the committee (or persons) responsible for curriculum? As web 2.0 tools become more robust and capable, instructors must consider the effect of “cognitive outsourcing” on curriculum, instructional methodology and the student.

Overall, planning and implementation must be effective for the student. Efficiency, although it is desirable, should not be the guiding factor in planning and implementing technology. The risk of efficiency as a goal is the use of technology for the sake of technology. Student instruction must be developed and implemented for their growth and development. Of course, one also needs to find a balance that reflects reality.

Safe practices with Web 2.0 : Personal safety and homework

There are so many issues to consider with the internet and student safety. Lately, I have been reflecting on the differences between the internet at school and the internet at home. I believe there is a significant difference between the two environments that relate directly to the personal safety of students. Based on compliance by most schools with the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), internet access at school is generally safer than internet access at home. CIPA requires internet filtering or blocking on EVERY connected computer and a comprehensive internet safety policy. (Solomon & Schrum) Schools also log all websites and monitor behavior. These measure are greater than what can be found in the typical home internet environment. With that in mind, teachers need to consider the internet environment students will access when completing an assignment that require learners to go online. Teachers must be aware that there is a difference between the two and ensure a safer process for the students.

Here are a few considerations that come to mind:

• Do your homework - It may sound like hyper-supervision, but go through the assignment yourself. Even commonplace exercises like a Google search can go awry. Think of keywords that are relevant to your topic and search the way your students would - check the resulting pages and images and ensure that the websites are what you intended. If not, consider providing your own keywords or creating a customized search engine for your students.
  

• Be a presence - One of the best practices in online and blended learning is for the instructor to be an active participant. For example, when your students are posting/writing to blog or forums, take the time to respond immediately to their posts. This lets your students know that you are partners in their experience and are an active member of the learning environment. Take that step from supervising to facilitating.

• Create a private space - Do not assign any tool that you are unfamiliar using or unfamiliar with the connected community. Learn the tool and learn how to create a private and safe space. If a private space is necessary but not possible, move on to a new tool. After all, the web 2.0 facilitates the experience, it doesn't define it – find another site or tool that helps you achieve your goal.

There is obviously a lot more when it comes to keeping students safe on the internet, but it is important to realize that not all internet environments are equal. When teachers assign internet-based assignments for homework, they must take into consideration the differences between the school and home internet environments.


Reference:

Schrum, L., & Solomon, G. (2007). Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools. NY: Intl Society For Technology In.

Research and the reflective practitioner: The F2F Experience

Last week I attended a face to face (F2F) workshop called Teachers Teaching Teachers (TTT). It was organized by the Multicultural Resource Center . Ironically, I specifically attended this F2F workshop as part of my research for my Web 2.0 Social Networking class! I looked forward to this workshop because, Gene Batiste - the vice president of Leadership Education and Diversity at the NAIS , was offering a session on the benefits and challenges of implementing an affinity group for an independent school community. The social networking project that I am researching for social networking class is along the lines of affinity group support via a Web 2.0 infrastructure.

So why attend a F2F when there are so many online options? In class we have researched tools and their implementation through sound methodology, but I believe that the practitioner needs to bring their social network to life with some F2F time. We use Diigo, blogs, virtual conferences, etc... to research and reflect but I believe that there needs to be a balance. Personally, I found great value in taking the time to disconnect and meet people, not avatars or user names. And even though I sat through the TTT workshops thinking that this would be more efficient online, I found value in seeing people, shaking hands, and having "real" F2F conversations. Although it may feel as though the primary source of research nowadays is the web, the reality is that behind these sources of research are people. In my case, I tend to forget that the tool or information I am accessing may have another person involved. There is someone, some group, and/or some network of people we are accessing through the web.

No matter how inefficient and limiting a F2F session may be, there is value in a blended approach to social networking. The session I attended with Gene Batiste was fantastic! He had a great welcoming manner, spoke with encouraging confidence, and motivated his participants to believe that affinity group work is possible in even the most conservative environments. The presence he radiated cannot be mined through the Internet. Imagine Obama's election victory speech at Grant Park in Chicago live versus on a screen. The content is the same but the feeling one gets from witnessing and sharing F2F is incomparable.

Overall, as I use the web to research and reflect, it is important to remember the emotional/motivational benefits of being involved in a network that can come to life (F2F) at some point.

Creating my social network - Response Blog #1

Defining my social network seems equivalent to defining part of my personal learning environment. I am networking resources and people I want to receive information from and provide information to. In this process, before considering a tool or network, I ask myself the following questions:

• Who do I want to connect with?
• How will I do it?
• Will I be able to contribute?
• Do I have the time?

Staying connected with a network has not been very easy. The tool must be transparent and not require too many steps to access. Some tools that have worked for me are Diigo, Facebook, Twitter, and CNN.com. CNN may have just raised an eyebrow but let me explain Diigo and Facebook first.

The Diigo user groups are a good way to find an instant network. For a while now, Dr. Fritz has recommended that we connect with Vicki Davis' CoolCatTeacher blog. As much as I respect her suggestions, I could never find the energy or enthusiasm to add another source to my reading. When I joined the Diigo network I decided to join the 'Educators' group - guess who started the group? Yep, Vicki Davis. As a member of that group, I get a weekly digest of links to the most relevant readings, blogs, tools, sites, etc… for educators. With the digest, I get the essence of her blog. I also follow Vicki Davis on twitter. Everything she posts into the 'Educators' group in Diigo she sends as a tweet as well. So, although I do not follow the blog closely, I am connected to her network in other ways; learning from the tools and readings she is recommending.

Now for the CNN.com clarification; CNN.com is a good example of a site that socially networks around topics in the news. After reading a news article, CNN.com gives the reader an opportunity to discuss the topic in an open forum with other readers. Also, the site connects you with blogs that are linking to the story you are reading and also to blogs that share similar tags. The benefit of incorporating a social network to the daily news has been great. There is reading the news, and then there is socially networking the news. Socially networking the news creates greater and more frequent opportunities to discuss issues with higher order thinking skills. For example, you read about the economy, then proceed to a discussion where you compare, contrast, explain, relate, debate, etc… Get the point? It is more than just the morning coffee and a paper!

Finally, I try to make my social network a little more than just educational - I need some fun! I have had a great and rewarding time reconnecting with friends through Facebook. FB has provided me with an opportunity to grow a network of friends and colleagues that I can call on to share, reflect and collaborate with when the opportunity arises. We talk, share pictures, and form part of a network.

New course, new challenge

I am excited for the assignment/challenge of creating a social network. One of the ideas that I have been thinking about for this assignment is diversity/affinity group support. I am going to try to create a social environment that facilitates discussions based on the topic of multi-cultural inclusion for high school students. In previous projects, I have dealt with topics directly related to my academic instruction - this time I want to focus on students' social well-being.

Class Reflection

This week in my Constructivist Learning Environment class, we were fortunate to experience a sample lesson that emphasized the importance of engaging learners immediately in a lesson and the effects of a strong learner response. In the sample lesson, the presenter displayed a collage of images that stimulated strong, engaged, and extremely varied responses from the groups. As an instructor, I believe the response was fantastic but there was a challenge - some of the responses from the groups were "off" the intended target/objective the presenter had anticipated. As a result, the unanticipated responses became an issue during the debrief session of the activity when the presenter was not able to reach his intended goal of the lesson. Fortunately, this lesson was just a practice constructivist lesson and therefore the issue was only a learning experience. It demonstrated the amount of preparation and facilitator skills required to bring varied ideas together and focus them back to the agenda for the day.

Personally, the best part of the day came after the presentation, during the critique. I felt that the interactions during the critique of the process was an amazing learning experience. The class engagement and the groups ability to clearly contrast between this lesson and previous ones, made it very easy to identify and analyze the differences in supporting and scaffolding the learner's experience. It emphasized in practical terms the theoretical information we have been investigating regarding constructivist instructors and the preparation, skill, and facilitation necessary to guide the learning experience in an appropriate direction.