Thank you Cool Cat Teacher

I just had to extend my thanks to Vicky at Cool Cat Teacher for her wonderful post on 8 Reasons Why Bloggers Don't Share their Blog: A Call for You to Share Your Link. I think your 5th reason really resignates for me, "A Feeling of Being overwhelmed - When I started, I often wondered, "what can I add?" There's too much. I cannot do this. I don't have the time.". I am always worried about what I am writing about and if it will be relevant to other readers in the blogsphere. I currently have over 1000 feeds in my google reader, so yes, I get a little overwhelmed sometimes. You helped me to see I am not alone and I thank you. You have also connected me to some great blogs, just in watching your comments, I have found great bloggers who I have a great deal in common with such as:
Connected the Dots
urbanteachertales
Avenueforlearning
R.O.F.L.M.A.O.
and
OnionSkin along with many other's I have added to my reader. What a great idea, Thank you so much!

Connecting With Students

As I write this post I am working from home, and enjoy it most days. So what did I do before this? I was a substitute teacher for years. I enjoyed it so much that I will have my MOE soon and hopefully my own class. Well lately, I've been pondering if I was truly meant to be an educator, let's just say I'm at a cross road with only three classes to go. Well a couple of days ago, I ran into a student I had the pleasure of teaching for three months last year during a long term sub assignment. I'm pretty sure we would have all labeled him a trouble maker, fighting, other things not to be named...., constantly suspended etc... He ran up to me while he was with all his cool buds and about knocked me over with a hug. As I explain that I am not teaching or subbing right now, he gets angry with me. He say's "Mrs. H the students need you. You care, I needed you and I knew you cared, heck you even got me to do homework and I don't do homework. You took the time to get to know us and that is something we don't feel often, you talked about yourself and related to us, besides you are a total goof ball and totally cool, you made learning fun. Now go back to teaching would ya?" I was literally shocked he was so passionate in what he was saying.

Just when I was starting to think I shared too much of myself with students and that I needed to step back if I were to ever do this full time which is my every intention. I have been hurt just as a substitute teacher because I put my heart and soul into the kids which by the way, isn't always politically correct. I decide that this is who I am. Connecting with your students is what it is all about!

Thank you my wonderful student for reminding me that today's educators need to try to learn about our students, talk to our students, not just talk at them. That showing we are real people with real lives, and real emotions is not only OK with them, it is what they need sometimes. They need to see we are not perfect, we make mistakes. I will continue to be me, I will relate, I will be silly, I will tease on occasion, I will be real, and hopefully somewhere along the lines they will learn about technology too :) For an interesting read, check out "What Teenagers Want" by Anne Bromley.

Thoughts on Second Life

Well I'll be honest, I thought second life was just for kids. I really did. My 15 year old son borrowed my laptop last week and was shocked to see second life loaded. Before I knew it, he was showing me all of the functions, how to talk, transport, fly, buy items. Great, I thought, so why am I trying this again, oh yes, social networking, virtual worlds can also contain a strong social network. Having interest in ISTE and guidelines from my instructor, Jeff, I head to the ISTE island. I've already made my character, so I look around. Within ten minutes there are at least eight other's in the room, some librarians, some technology teacher and some graduate students. Wow, I was literally amazed at how friendly everyone is. It's almost like the virtual world gives you more of a connection that twitter or your blog, you can't always guarantee a reply or post, but in second life, the forum is more open, people respond to your ideas quickly and are quick to expand upon the subject material. I liked it so much that I have become a volunteer in the ISTE area as well as the NECC 2008 area. What a great way way to network and create a social network. Thanks again, Jeff. Feel free to look for my avatar: Sherry Dawner.

Comparing OCPL Solutions

In thinking about the One Child Per Laptop Program, I began to ponder if it was only low cost laptops they are using, and yes, If you read my previous blog on the topic, you know that I think XO's and the OCPL program is the bomb. So do schools use any other types of technology for one to one learning, my research concludes that they certainly do.
1. Palm Pilots: The cost is down to $100 and students can do similar functions as they can a laptop and there are thousands of free applications online. Students in the classroom can take charge of teaching each other new uses. Students can also take notes and schedule homework assignments. For more information on the use of palm pilots in the school, check out The University of Florida's Palm Pilot Project or Education Worlds article, Hand Helds in the Classroom.
2. Tablet Pc's: These are slick and are getting smaller every year and as one teacher puts it "the Tablet PC and the high-speed connection to the Internet gives students broader access to knowledge and allows them to participate more in learning instead of watching him lecture at a chalkboard." What a concept, students participating in learning. I think I like it. One of the first schools to actually use the table pc was in Canada at the Northern Lights Public School. Check out the article I found here. I also found a great blog by Dean Shareski where he takes a community walk with students using tablet pc's and is able to bring in Jeff Utecht in Malaysia via Skype. Very cool. So what's the down fall here. The cost, roughly about $1500. Ouch!
3. Thin Clients: Now this may be the way to go. With all info residing on the educators server, monitoring and software usage become less of a problem. They are aso fanless, noiseless, and use just 5 watts of electricity according to an article by emachines. I can see where a school district might find this beneficial. I also see a huge downside, once the student leaves the classroom, they may be leaving their only option for internet usage and technology. I believe that when it comes to one to one solutions, we are looking to empower our students a little bit more than a thin client will allow.
4. The XO by MIT: The cost alone has me sold and the same benefits as any one to one program. With it's new partnership with Microsoft and it's ability to dual boot, I think this is where I would be leaning in the educational arena.

If you have used other pieces of technology in your class or know of any, I would love to hear from you.

NECC Unplugged

Well I know a lot us of have heard of NECC and ITSE, but did you know about NECC Unplugged? I think this open forum, discussion is great for those of us who cannot get to Texas. I live in NH. It is three days of collaboratively created and scheduled conferences created by the participants, (thats us), held in an open lounge area. What a great idea and a great resource. I was lucky enough to come across it after following budtheteacher's post on "Creating ourselves online". He will be holding a facilitated discussion on this topic at 8:30 on June 30th. I noticed this post on twitter yesterday and am very excited to be part of this discussion. After looking around, I realized what a great resource NECC Unplugged is. So I am now a part of NECC Unplugged and will be doing a brief demo of grazr, one of my favorite web 2.0 tools on the same date at 4:00pm. If you have any interest in education, technology and web 2.0 check out NECC Unplugged, they have some great topics that may be of interest to you. Got a great idea. Present it or do a demo. If I can do it, you can too.

My thoughts on One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)

How can you possible find any flaws with a company and a piece of hardware that promises to bring technology to the poorest children in the world. Yes, I am speaking of the OLPC program and the XO laptops created by MIT. This low cost computer is bringing technology to poor and third world countries. They are not letting the barriers of poverty or language stop today’s students from learning with the tools of the 21^st century. What a truly innovative program. Did I mention that the cost is between $188 to $100 dollars. Now this is something school districts can afford.

The OLPC program has partnered with Microsoft to enhance it’s newest feature, the dual booting XO. Mind blowing. Now students, or users will have a choice between their preferred OS. (Linux, here I come!) To read the May 16^th article, click here.

This is a wonderful initiative who’s benefits can be seen almost immediately. Poor or third world countries have a shortage of teachers, with networked computers, students can learn online, wouldn’t it be great if we had volunteer teachers available to teach these online courses. Many of these countries are educating students of different ages and grades in the same classroom. I think the XO will help to solve the major gap that must be an issue for any educator dealing with such a diverse group of students. The introduction of the laptop will introduce self paced learning. Students will be able to learn grade appropriate material at their own pace and most likely, in their own language. We also need to keep in mind that children in these countries are often brought into the school environment at different points in their life. They do not necessarily start at the same age or level of ability. Having technology available not only in the school but in the home may help these students to catch up to their counterparts if not feel more successful in what they do accomplish. The nation of Nepal was one of first governments to test pilot this program. This is the first ever pilot distribution of the laptop in Nepal, and it is codenamed “Sunrise”. Visit OLPC Nepal blog to learn more about the program, the importance to it’s users and view great pictures of the ceremony and the student with their new laptops.

Thank you MIT for making such a worthwhile product for such a worthy cause. Our children.

Just When I Thought I Was a True Web 2.0 User

I find myself realizing that I still rely on my old habits, my old ways of doing things. I still create my documents in word, and my spreadsheets in excel, directly on my laptop. I have 40 page paper's due for some of my master's classes yet, I keep them on a hard drive, safe and sound. So while I love to blog, love my wiki and am constantly playing with 2.0 tools, I am not always using them in the way they were meant to be used. I wonder if anyone else claiming to love 2.0 can say the same... I find myself, with a laptop that is not my own, and a 20 page paper due in two days, I'm just waiting around, could be working on my edits, BUT, did I put in on the one of google's coolest tools, Google Docs, No, I did not, so I sit here waiting and wishing I had saved my paper to my usb port. Again, I'm not realizing the potential. I promise in the future to do what I preach, use web 2.0 technology to it's fullest abilities! Iwill post my paper to Google Docs and I will use my del.icio.us account and stop using the bookmark tab. Confessions of a web 2.0 user :)

Writing a Blog Post, Is there a correct way?

Lately I've been wondering how much time is spent when we (I) write a blog post. What are we thinking about during this writing process? How do we make it so that we catch people's attention and make them not only want to read our blog posts but respond to them as well? As always, a new thought brings me to my del.icio.us account which I have populated with various posts and articles found on my google reader or my twitter account and immediately see two good hits. Blogging etiquette, well that must be of importance! But is the definitions of etiquette different for each reader? My first hit is by edublogger, "5 Tips for Writing Better Blog Posts". Ok, so be short and precise (quess I'll stop writing now :) , use heading, remember to hyperlink, comment back to readers, and last but not least subscribe to your own post via a reader. Ok, so I think I have 4 out of 5, so I better keep this short. I also found a great article on Etiquette, Twitter and Self Promotion thanks to a great post on Drapes Takes. So what do you think, what makes you read a blog, what are the rules of the road? Are there really any? Do you spend as much time personalizing your blog page as I do (I'm constantly trying out new widgets that I just have to add) , or are you more concerned with the content of your posts? Are the two of equal importance? I wonder...

1:1 Learning, Laptops in the Classroom

The world is changing as it always does and we as educators need to change with it. That is why I am a strong believer in the 1:1 laptop programs seen in such states such as Maine. They have purchased laptops for their students and the program has been very successful. Yet they are not alone, The Reed Union School District in San Francisco has also adopted the 1:1 laptop use and have found both positives and negatives, deciding the positives outway the negatives and the laptops will indeed stay. As one teacher states:
"I'm not lecturing at them anymore," Jeffrey said, as her students worked on reports about discrimination and the civil rights movement. "This kind of assignment becomes fun for them; they're finding their own information, building it as they go along, instead of having me read it to them".

Isn't this what the new thoughts in education are all about, allowing students to synthesis information? Another article I found from Apple brings home this point nicely. They have helped to bring laptop programs to many school districts including Shoreline School District. This district has a laptop for each student and teacher in grades 5 -12. The results have been impressive, teachers communicate more which helps with curriculum mapping. Students are able to work on assignments and do research when they are not at school. It is also helping with academic assessment, making it easier and more efficient. As the principal of Ecko Lake Elementary school observes:

“With the Apple notebooks, the actual act of teaching is quicker, better, and much more accurate.”

It is enlightening to see a school district and community that views technology as absolutely essential in education, and understands that notebooks offer the tools students need to succeed in today’s world, a highly technical world.

For a great video on the one to one initiative viewthe video by MIT professor, Nicholas Negroponte titled "What if Every Child Had a Laptop".

The Power of Blogging Recognized in Politics

Well as I was getting my dose of what I consider TV news, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, I caught his interview with David Perlmutter, a professor at the University of Kansas. They were discussing his book "Blog Wars". During his interview, Mr. Perlmutter talks about the power of the Internet and blogs and their impact if any on the political process. Now I use the Internet for my needs, news, education, learning, blogging, but it never truly occurred to me that politicians are using blogs as a way to reach online social networks, and that they realize the power of these networks. In researching this a little, I found the following regarding Obama's online presence at a blog at the Washington Post.

"Barack Obama is very interesting in this regard. It is interesting to watch in his online efforts, and he's raising a ton of money online. He has to go to fewer $1,000-a-plate dinners than John McCain does. Campaigns are paying attention to that. He's also able to bring in newer voters, as he certainly did in Iowa. If you look at the entrance polls in Iowa, the spread of young voters between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, was the widest in the history of entrance and exit voting. I think that had a lot to do both with the qualities of Barack Obama the candidate, but also with the campaign's outreach through online social interactive media."

It is enlightening to know that politicians realize the power of an online presence and social networking. It is undeniable proof that social networks are and can be extremely powerful. In doing a Google search for blogs, Obama, Google comes back with 13,400,000 hits. Now I realize these are not all blogs, and some are posts but wow, that is impressive.

Blogging is changing the face of elections. Politicians actually hire professional bloggers and keep them on payroll according to the interview.

Is it possible that social networking could help candidates win elections? Are they/we that powerful? If so, I need to get it right so I can land a teaching position :)

SHegstrom - ED5160: Using Podcasts for Assessment

SHegstrom - ED5160: Using Podcasts for Assessment

Using Podcasts for Assessment

I personally think a podcast is a great way to assess a student’s knowledge. Talk about alternative assessment which is more meaningful and relevant. Teacher and peer reviews can be added to the assessment process via a podcast interview on a project. The question answer format and the prompting that is required to produce the podcast would allow teachers to get a true sense of the students understanding of the content. Podcasts would also reduce paper tests and quizzes which may save a tree of two. I believe podcasts can enhance the assessment process. We are now assessing content as well as performance. How well can the students speak into the microphone and discuss their projects clearly? This is a very important skill we all need to learn and the earlier the better. I think podcasting provides a great medium for authentic assessment. This is definitely an assessment tool I can and will use in my classroom when I get one. By asking the students questions about their projects I can not only see what they know but hopefully learn something myself. As an added benefit, a podcast is much harder to misplace than a paper test and can be made available for us to listen to for grading at our convenience. This is the true power of assessment in a networked environment. A teacher has the task of staying diligent about checking online content. I believe it makes assessment easier, as we can see when something was submitted, and assess it under the conditions that we stipulate for that content. That is where a good rubric would come in very handy. Nothing fancy, but a check list of what you might want to see in a multimedia presentation or internet project. Rubrics can be created quickly and easily with such online free tools such as “rubistar".

It was great to listen to how involved the students were in their projects when listening to the podcast of Jeff Utecht’s 5^th grade class. When teachers and parents are asked about what they think about their students work, they have stated that they are amazed at how well the children are able to present their information. The student’s internet and researching skills were obviously very important as the students needed to learn how to sift through a lot of information quickly and be able to pull out pertinent data. The students showed and developed higher level skills and thinking that can be applied to the real world. The beauty of today’s society is that I think that every technology teacher that has stayed abreast of up and coming technologies has already begun to teach these skill sets, that is scanning content, presentation skills and higher level thinking. I would like to believe that all teachers across all curriculums are staying aware of changes in technology which in turn affects the skills we need to teach our children. I can dream can’t I? Check out this great post I found from Kelly BlackWell on “Using podcasts to enhance teaching and learning in the classroom”.