It was interesting to discover in my VITTA session yesterday ‘Harnessing the Power of the Internet’, that even the higher end users have an interest in a fairly fundamental introduction to Internet tools. One of the interesting aspects of my current role, is that I am not so much a technology expert, as someone who will experiment, find a new tool/site at short notice etc.  I rarely get time to really look at new tools and software in depth, unless I am using them for something specific (like using Joomla to run our project website). What I do get to do is explore what’s out there, dabble in something new that may be useful for a specific teacher or project, and then move on. I get a broad overview, but not always detailed knowledge.  My Internet session is a bit like that.  I jump around the net, showcasing useful tools and resources for teachers, and it always gets a good reception. But my audience is generally teachers starting out with technology, rather than experienced users.

I usually start this session with a brief online survey just to get a feel for the experience of the participants, and to demonstrate an online survey.  At VITTA, for the first time, the mix was 50/50, with some more experienced Web 2.0 users in the mix. That was to be expected, as VITTA is an organisation for IT teachers. But the organisers felt that teachers would still benefit from a hands on session about Internet tools, and the fact that the session booked out early confirmed that. It was still pleasing to note that although the teachers had more knowledge than some of my audiences, their experiences were only in some of the areas I covered.  Everyone seemed to learn something new, and the feedback was very positive.

When I return to the classroom next year, it will be an interesting change to make choices of what tools I think will work most effectively in my curriculum, and then explore them in depth with my class.  I expect the broad overview I currently have will definitely help me in selecting those tools, as will the network I am developing of Education Technologists around the world.

I just watched the ‘Final final version’ of Pay Attention by Darren Draper today. I think it is a very powerful video, and I have shown it to many colleagues.  The latest version (which if all is working as it should, will be embedded below) has a few changes - some images added, some spelling corrected and some extra content.  Upon viewing it again, however, I realised it raises some concerns for me.

I think we walk a very thin line when we promote technology in education.  There is always the danger that we will be perceived to be pushing technology for its own sake, rather than for the richer learning experience that it can support. And it can be very hard to change those perceptions.

It is easy to assume that because the ‘digital generation’ appear to be so proficient with using technology for communication, that they are experts in its use. In reality, many young people have a very shallow understanding of the power of technology, the internet and web 2.0. We also sometimes assume because they seem engaged when using the technology, that they are having a rich experience.

The section of the video that particularly concerned me was relating to iPods and podcasting. “If you can’t reach your students by speaking directly to them…Teach them via Podcast.”  I think it is extremely dangerous to suggest that if you cannot engage your class in person; with the full force of your personality, all your classroom resources, visual materials, student interaction etc; that you can engage the students simply by presenting the same information via their earbuds. It is very simplistic to say, “Perhaps they wouldn’t hate school if they could use their iPods in class”. 

I think that podcasts have huge potential in our schools. They can be an excellent revision tool, allow access to material for students with different learning styles etc.  But I think their most powerful application for students is as a means of  publication, rather than in a purely passive environment. The current generation seem to be more about ‘pushing up’ to the net than ‘pulling down’, and that can be a very rich experience.

I am running another Intel Essentials course starting on Monday, and the quote from the Intel CEO in the training manual springs to mind…

“Computers aren’t magic, teachers are.” I think this is a thought that we need to keep firmly in mind as we develop curriculum for the 21st Century learner.

Download Video: Posted by jsdt4 at TeacherTube.com.

I have been dabbling my toes in the twitter pond this week. I had signed up a few months ago, and then really couldn’t see a lot of value educationally in it, so hadn’t been back.  But I had read so many edublogs about it recently, I thought I should give it a another go. Seems like with most of these technologies, your network is paramount. And building that network will take time - but even though I am only following a very small number of people, I have found some great links already, and watched an interesting online presentation I would have otherwise missed.

I discovered a few new blogs to read through twitter, and last week Sue Waters was discussing successful PowerPoint presentations - Engaged or Enraged? 

I found this post particularly relevant to my circumstances, as I have had the opportunity to present fairly extensively in the last couple of years.  And while I understand all the issues that are being raised, I sometimes get confused about exactly what will work for me, in the context of my own topics and audience.  I’ll just quote my comment on Sue’s blog…

I will continue to watch this post with interest, and will probably blog about this topic myself this week, when I’ve had a chance to follow all the suggested links. I am somewhat confused by this whole topic. I have presented extensively over the last couple of years, and I always seem to get good feedback after my sessions. But I struggle to follow several of these new ‘PowerPoint rules’. I never read my slides, and I always feel I am comfortable just discussing the topic, adding anecdotes etc. I do however, find myself having bullet points in my slides. And, as much as I have reworked and reworked my presentations with the idea of replacing majority of text with images, in most cases I cannot think of an appropriate image to insert. (Its funny - I remember a couple of years ago reading research that said the only images in presentations should be specifically relevant to the topic…). So, I find myself in a quandary - I feel like I present well, but that my PowerPoint’s would not come up to scratch under scrutiny. Maybe they work because I generally run hands on workshops, and give the participants a copy of the presentation on CD or online, so they can follow all the links and engage with the activities. When I use bullets its just a brief word, to jog a readers memory when they are looking back on the resource, trying to remember what I said.

And I feel concerned at the moment - I have one or two of those inspirational videos in a presentation I am preparing for next week… and while I agree you could watch it in your own time…many teachers who attend my sessions would say they would not have time.

I was quite reassured to read in Miles Burke’s blog post ‘19 tips for public speaking’ - “use images only to make a point, don’t just add images for fun “, as that is one of the areas I struggle with.  I’m a photographer, and an Art teacher - I am a very visual person.  But I also a very logical thinker, and sometimes I struggle to see how to connect an image with the sometimes abstract concepts I might be discussing - or in fact with the cold hard facts of ICT implementation, or utilising a specific software. I was also pleased to be reassured in a private comment that there was no need to remove the inspirational videos from my workshops sessions, that comment was perhaps more applicable to keynotes.

So, I guess I will continue to re-evaluate my presentations critically, keep text to a bare minimum, add images where appropriate and never read my slides. And continue the model of practical, hands on presentations, where the content, resources and activities are far more important than what is on my slides.

And hopefully I can continue to present useful materials to participants without sending them to sleep or killing them with PowerPointlessness!

A few posts ago I referenced a blog written by a 14 year old american student, who frequently comments on technology in education. He is perhaps far from the average 14 year old, but he does have some definite insights into how our students see technology, and what they can potentially benefit from it - and how they see education. I have seen several of the edubloggers I follow referring to ‘Arthus’ recently - he is making quite an impact in the online world of Education, even considering running some student led sessions at major conferences such as NECC. I read a great post on the Infinite Thinking Machine blog today, which summarises an interview with Arthus. Or, if you prefer, you can listen to the whole interview. It’s well worth reading for all Teachers - and Arthus’ blog is now a must read in my RSS feed too.

I’m afraid I wont be back at my desk till next Monday, so those environmental links are going to be a bit late. Sorry.  But I was reading my RSS feeds today and I saw a great post by a  14 year old student who writes a very interesting blog.  Anyway, his post today was in response to Blog Action Day also, and I think its worth a read. So checkout Newly Ancient’s entry Take Action.

Today is Blog Action Day.  I wanted to make this post relevant to my elearning theme, so I spent some time last week hunting down some sites with interactive activities and games for students on the theme of the environment.  I found a few that looked promising, so I bookmarked them…on the Mac, at work.  And I’m out of the office till Friday…. 

So, I’m going go have to come back and edit this entry later in the week - maybe I’ll get time tomorrow to redo the search. (I really should have added them to my Del.ico.us account.) And maybe not - I am doing one to one LMS training with staff all this week. Its been great to see teachers come to a realisation that they can do so much more with an LMS than send messages and upload files, but a few technical glitches with network access at one site so far have also been a bit frustrating.

OK, I’m back - I finally have those links. So, here they are….

Environmental Kids Club Games Room
Environmental Education Activities
Act Now – Environment
WWF Games

I saw an interesting episode of Stateline on the ABC this morning. ” ‘Second Life’ launch - Melbourne’s famous laneways now part of a virtual world.” You can read a full transcript here.  The Victorian Government has employed a company to produce a re-creation of Melbourne City’s Laneways on the ABC island within the virtual world Second Life.  It will be an interesting experiment, and I intend to hop on and have a stroll around myself (or maybe a fly over - that will be a new viewpoint on a local landmark!) when I have installed the latest update.  Its been awhile since I have ventured into Second Life. I am intrigued by the possibilities for education, but haven’t spent a lot of time exploring yet.

Anyway, the reason I thought this story was blog-worthy here on my edublog, was some comments made regarding the reasoning behind this experiment, and the inherent ‘risks’. Apparently the State Government has stated that “it is not worried about what goes on in its virtual space, so much as missing out if it is really is the next big thing.”  That’s a big statement to make, and one that  doesn’t often seem to extend to policies about online innovations within the state government education system.  Obviously I realise its a different situation, and the duty of care, student safety, parental wishes, etc etc means that introducing these things into schools is a very different issue entirely.  But when Innovations Minister Theo Theophanus says “There will be issues of fraud, issues of people who don’t do the right thing, issues of proper behaviour. All of those things are ethical issues that we will have to deal with but that is not a reason for us not to experiment with this kind of technology and try and see what can be done.” I sometimes wish that this was more often the approach within our education system.

Recently I read a blog by a teacher in a Melbourne private school, who was discussing policies regarding use of online resources such as You Tube etc in schools.  He pointed out that You Tube is blocked in every government school in Vic, and that his school had recently banned students from using Wikipedia as a source in their bibliographies.  Wikipedia has been proven to be a very reliable source… but students do have to be aware it is written by users, and learn how to check for secondary sources, and verify its content.  That is a very valuable lesson for students to learn in this age of immediate information.  Even journalists have faced criticism recently for using the Internet as a shortcut, and not verifying sources etc. Digital citizens must learn to make these judgements for themselves, and we could teach students that lesson while using Wikipedia as a valuable resource.  But we keep facing that fear of new sites, applications and technologies in our schools, potentially to the detriment of educational possibilities.

You can find some further articles about the launch, and links to ABC’s Second Life island at Multimedia Victoria and Victoria’s eGovernment Resource Centre.

I just watched another wonderful video from the TED conference. Sir Ken Robinson discussing creativity, education and our direction as educators for the future. His presentation is very entertaining, causing me to laugh out loud on several occasions, but it is effective because it resonates at a deeper level. As he spoke, many personal conversations and experiences sprang to mind.

Often in our education system, it is seen as a terrible waste, if someone with academic ability pursues the arts. When I was in Year 10 at high school, we had to meet with a teacher to discuss our subject choices for the following year - the start of the VCE - our final years of high school, and what was perceived to be the doorway to our career choices for the rest of our lives. I wanted to study a mix of Chemistry, Maths, English, Art, Music and Drama, and I was sure there would be an argument, so I took my father along. Everything went smoothly - I was encouraged to diversify, and the teacher was very supportive. I cannot remember which staff member I met with that day, but I thank them for their support. The following year I was over confident - I went to my meeting alone…and was harangued for an hour as the teacher tried to make me change my selections, saying I had to choose Maths & Science OR Arts, not both. Why? Why could they not see that the creative skills that are fostered in art subjects can be very valuable in more academic fields, particularly in the area of problem solving and creative thinking? Especially now, when so many commentators speak on the importance of creative thinking to the business world.

Robinson also mentions fear of failure as being a major cause for the lack of creativity in many adults. It reminded me of the story of Thomas Edison. He felt we should not see mistakes as failure, rather, as an opportunity for learning. Edison made more than 1,000 attempts to invent the electric light bulb. A colleagues asked “Don’t you feel you are a failure?”. Edison replied “Not at all. Now, I definitely know more than a thousand ways how NOT to make a light bulb.” A few days later he was successful. In contrast, Sir Joseph Wilson Swan, who demonstrated the theoretical concept first, gave up trying to develop a working light bulb after only three attempts.

I hope that views like Robinson’s continue to spread in the Education world. The Principal at one of my schools forwarded the link to this video to all of his staff, asking them to watch it. It is a powerful message, and hopefully the ripple effect will continue to spread.

Teachers are busy people.  I don’t think any of us could ever say we have all the time we need to plan and deliver our curriculum, as well as keep up with professional reading and undertake professional development. Luckily the Internet gives us many ways to get the latest education information and resources with minimal effort. Blogs, Podcasts, Email Newsletters, RSS feeds…… there is a wealth of information out there.

 I thought I would share some of the resources I receive regularly.  Please feel free to add your favourites in the comments.

I receive a couple of email newsletters on ICT in education.  I admit I generally only skim them, but often something great catches my eye, or I can come back to them when I have more time. I get Terry Freedman’s ‘Computers in the Classroom’ and two from The George Lucas Educational Foundation, ‘Edutopia News’ and ‘Technology in Education’. There is also one for ‘Project Based Learning’ and they can all be subscribed to here.

I am building up a list of Education related blogs that I subscribe to, and try and read regularly.  Some I have only just started reading, some I have followed for awhile.

Cool Cat Teacher Blog, a Blog by Vicki Davis , eLearning Technology ,Tony Karrer’s blog , Derek Wenmoth’s Blog and the Infinite Thinking Machine. I also subscribe to eHub, where Emily Chang Blogs about several new Web 2.0 tools everyday, the Podcasts at the Virtual Staffroom and Common Craft’s In Plain English.  If you don’t know how to subscribe to blogs etc with RSS (Really Simple Syndication), then head over to Common Craft and watch the RSS in Plain English video .

I’d love to hear which blogs or newsletters you find the most useful, so please share in the comments.

I am spending some time today trying to publicise my various blogs, so I am now listed with Blogarama .  Apparently my ranking goes up if I link back to them, so here goes…..