Google to the rescue…

It has been a very productive week as I have updated and prepared my Early Literacy Instruction class to open next week.  Just a quick post to share two ways I am using Google to make formerly cumbersome assignments easier:

I am now using Google Forms to collect information on a Needs Assessment.  Every semester I do a needs assessment and have students tell me a few things about their technology and themselves.  The tech questions ask them to identify things like what type of computer they use, their connection speed, their browser, their comfort level on the internet. I am not as interested in the details as much as I like to provide them the opportunity to find out this information if they do not already know it.  The other questions have them sign off on having read the entire syllabus, the academic honesty policy and the approximate workload expectations to successfully complete this class.  By providing a place to sign their agreement to class policies, it raises their awareness of the expectations and if they have special circumstances, often this leads to the conversations about modifications so we can make plans that will support their success right from the start.

In the past I have used the exam tool to gather this information and tally their responses.  This semester I am embedding a Google Form so it will be easy for them to provide the information, and easy for me to access it once it is compiled.

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I am also using Google Documents to compile my Introductions posts so my students can upload pictures and add text to introduce themselves to one another as the class begins.  I used to use a threaded discussion in the Learning Management System (eCollege in my case) but students had to attach a picture to a post and then download it to see it.  This was cumbersome to say the least and highly problematic at times.  The Introductions assignment during the Orientation week of class helps students learn how to use Google Documents (which we will then continue to use throughout the class) and they have a user-friendly, single page access to basic bio information as they get to know their classmates.

social networking: a rapid? an eddy? a meandering stream?

@LindaTietjen today posted an interesting comment about Twitter vs. Facebook and made me stop and think for a minute about what I like and  how I use social networking in general and specifically how I use each of these two services differently.

To use a water analogy I see the whole of  social networking as a river.  Facebook is an eddy, off to the side, somewhat protected and calm(ish). Twitter is a a Class 3-4 rapid running right through the middle. Takes a bit of technical prowess to navigate- and when it gets to be too much I sometimes bail out for a bit and walk around. For the most part, as long as I can pick my path (via Tweetdeck) I even enjoy it and often tame that rapid into a much more gentle, meandering stream.

To get out of the analogy and into reality- although I post all updates to both, Facebook for me is to connect with people and engage in personal conversations. I do have personal/professional relationships on Twitter but mostly use direct message for those conversations and they tend to be pointed, and lead to further conversation in a more expanded venue (Instant Messaging, email, or even face to face or telephone). On a day to day basis, though, I use Tweetdeck to manage the volume and track topics and people interesting to me. I hardly ever read my All Friends feed… it’s too much! But when I use Groups to track the people for whom I want to be sure I catch every tweet, or Search to see what people are posting about topics, it allows me to focus and draw from the stream only what I am interested in that day.

I love that Twitter is so huge and fast moving and continuing to grow.  I love that there are other applications building on or creating alternative versions of communication applications.  I believe that accessibility, mobility (you can participate in so much of social networking by phone) and the resulting spread of these services are making the potential of social networking ever stronger.  In a strong and dynamic network, any of us can draw out the little bits that are meaningful for ourselves.  The presence of the stream allows us to leverage mass collaboration without requiring additional structures or communication mechanisms, and, when that pool is rich and diverse, growing each day, the likelihood is greater that the quality and range of what I will be able to draw is worth them time and energy of participating and contributing to the stream myself.

advancing conversation

I was talking tonight with Joni Dunlap about live, synchronous discussions in online classes.  I tend to go pretty structured so none of us (especially me) is second guessing whether to talk or listen.  I like to prompt  conversation with leads like- check out this video clip then talk about it, respond to this image, etc. When I think of the discussions that have been the most effective, I think the student led discussions last semester were probably the best of all. In reflecting on it I think that had to do mostly with the nature and the number of conversations with the leaders about what they need to think about to facilitate a good discussion… then that builds on itself as the leaders become participants in the next conversation and the quality of discussions grows exponentially throughout the semester.  I am excited to try breakout groups this semester… where teams go off and discuss or problem solve elements of an issue… then return for a new conversation to share and build on thinking from their small groups. It is a strategy that works amazingly face to face… I think synchronous conversations this way in Adobe Connect could be a really great way to bring multi-level conversations like this alive in the online classroom.

striving towards openness

It’s been an interesting year. Lots of teaching. Way more learning. And now it is time to apply this learning to the work of this new year.

I’m thinking about openness in the graduate level classroom. As I seek to re-work and further open the work in our classes I am wondering:

• How do we organize the class: stages of content, gradual release of responsibility, time management for all of us- how do we keep the time spent on the class to advance thinking about teaching and learning and avoid typical tech pitfalls?
• What should be open and shared? process? products? conversations?  some?  all? and the flipside, what needs to remain in the LMS?
• Ownership- is our work in the class the work of ‘the class’… or are we all separate collaborative?  for example: do we each feed our own blogs and use Yahoo pipes to bring the posts together, or do we populate a group blog?
• Implications for grading- grading success and accomplishment or absence will be easy.  What about variance in collaborative work? Growth model or benchmark? Content vs communication of ideas?

Your thoughts are most welcome…

when do we play?

In my online class about Literacy Development, we have been discussing the importance of play and the negative impact the reduction of time to play is having on our children. The conversation about the role of play at school and at home and current practices is a really important one that merits further exploration.

In schools we so often communicate with families as to how they can help their children do school better- homework, attendance, presence at school functions, volunteering. In essence, the message we are communicating is that the work kids do at school is not enough, we expect kids to do more school when they are at home. We know, though, that not all families have the academic or emotional background to make this a productive use of family time. At best it can take away from fun, at worst it can create unnecessary battles at home.

I propose we consider a new path to our desired result: Instead of promoting further school work at home, what if we were to encourage play? We know kids are not granted sufficient play time with our current academic focus in schools and this can negatively affect their cognitive and linguistic development, what if we changed our focus to promote sufficient play time at home?

We serve as the source of information about what underlies successful learning and academic achievement for kids… so when do we talk with families about the importance of talk and play between parents and kids that helps kids develop language, cognition and social skills that support their success in schools? In this current economy when so many families are struggling to keep afloat, isn’t it all the more important that we demonstrate the value of play and communication at home and at school so families can see the role they play as chief communicator and playmate with their children? If our goal is to recognize what families already do, and by saying this validating the importance of talk and play in the home, won’t that reduce some of the stress and worry that families are not doing enough? In turn, won’t that promote the interaction, conversation and time spent playing that we know will actually help kids do better in school? And for those families who are not talking and playing enough with their kids, isn’t that an easier shift than to increase homework time? Volunteer time?

I cannot help but wonder the impact it would have on kids performance in schools if, like the school whose test scores went up by including more daily recess, our kids play time, not work time, went up daily in their homes.

PLN Genesis?

I’ve been working a lot on the notion of Parent Engagement lately… with parents, teachers, principals, school administrators and thought I would post a few thoughts to generate some conversation here.

Personal Learning Networks- a topic many educators participating in social media are talking about.  As I consider the idea of Parent Engagement- and recognize for many kids it is really family engagement- I began to think that really, the PLN starts at birth- your parents, your siblings, your relatives, your friends, your teachers, your peers… everyone you talk with, explore with, play with supports your learning- isn’t that the definition of PLN? WHAT you do, HOW you do it, WHERE you do it, WITH whom and HOW you interact with information and others sets up a belief system about learning and in turn this affects what you ultimately believe about what you are to do in school.

So this started me down a path: the notion of homework- As I start to consider families as members of a child’s personal learning network, it occurred to me that the homework most kids bring home are missed opportunities. Where do we look at homework as a chance to recognize and credit what families already do… the conversation, interaction, and activity that happens when families have time to be together.  It makes me wonder if the notion of homework at the elementary level at least, would be better as a an ongoing conversation between children, families and teachers, to share information, wonderings and anecdotes that can inspire ideas, and help everyone participate in the conversation and communication that is so necessary to connect children’s experiences in school and at home.

Thoughts?

an efferent vs aestehtic stance

Autumn. So welcome in my world.  For some people spring is the time for new beginnings.  For others, January signifies a chance for a new start.  For me it is Autumn— sharpened pencils, fresh spiral notebooks, a new backpack, new shoes, this year a new phone— that signifies a time for reflection and an opportunity to start anew.  Now, after a summer away and the start up of a nutty semester, I think it is time to jump back in and reflect on my learning over the past year, especially the steepness of the curve.

I have spent a career thinking about teaching and learning, what it takes to grow, and how to help facilitate systemic change. Now I find myself learning, changing, and discovering, yet again, new ways to approach and participate in the conversation.

passion, dedication and clarity of vision

At the end of the workday, today, I had an extra few minutes… so decided to pop over to the Twitter status blog, just to see what the folks at Twitter had to say today. I have been, in turn, annoyed and intrigued by the complaining and impatience within Twitter, about Twitter, and I find myself continually returning to the question: So, um, how come all the fuss?

Well, my venture into status took me over to the Twitter Blog. When I read down a post or so I learned that I guess, the folks at TechCrunch, posted a series of questions on their blog… and the folks at Twitter responded in theirs. In skimming through the Twitter response, my attention was drawn by one question in particular: ‘How long will it be until you are able to undo the damage [you] caused to Twitter and the community?’ I have seen this sentiment in various tweets as well, as people get frustrated, even angry at times, and vent. What I find so interesting is that even when negative, whether it is out of frustration, challenge or complaint… people talk about how important Twitter is to them. The fact we are personally taking offense at the functionality and usability of a service makes a strong statement about the power of that service. And as I thought about the value people are assigning this tool, I remembered that just today I also saw the opposite sentiment, stated with passion by Pistachio: “@twitter @ev @biz @jack i love Twitter so much it hurts. it majorly, majorly, majorly helped me out just now. thank you.” The message may differ, but the energy and intensity remains powerfully the same.

As I sort through all of this, what I love is, when the Twitter-folk refer to their work, they reflect passion, dedication, and ultimately a clarity of vision on what I think really matters:

“We’re all focused on designing something that persists and becomes the background.”

It is not the tool. It is not even the functionality. It is the illumination of the conversation that breaks barriers, brings down boundaries and allows us, if we are willing, to hear and maybe see just a little bit of others’ thoughts, others’ beliefs, others’ worlds. And that is what I find truly powerful. I learn so much from those I follow, with whom I feel I share common values. I gain insight, resources and ideas from them. But I find I learn equally from those I follow who live in different worlds. Think differently. Experience differently and ultimately navigate the world differently than me. Where else do I get instant, updated, real-time access to so many diverse points of view?

It is so easy to get wrapped up in expectation. And it is uncomfortable to have high expectations and see once more that life happens, and things are not always as they appear to be. The classy, clear, forward-thinking, responsive- yet not defensive approach the Twitter team has taken in the face of significant whining is impressive. And in reading through the comments…another gem from TechCrunch: “Twitter continues to be annoyingly and constructively responsive to criticism.” We love to hate it. We hate to love it. If only we all were so transparent and constructive about our own growth and efforts to mediate our own personal development.

We have become so accustomed to on-demand, consumer-driven, reactionary company policies. The food we eat: genetically modified, extracted, fabricated into food product, ‘enriched’ with added nutrients. Often the nutrients that were bred or processed out in the first place. The food service experience is driven by a quest for identicality: we want our food and drink not influenced by regional difference, but packaged and mediated to be exactly the same, where ever we are. We see a similar effort in our language policy as we spend unbelievable dollars providing instruction in English only to native speakers of languages other than English. And the military spends additional remarkable sums, instructing adult English speakers to speak those very languages we extinguished out of our multilingual, multicultural population when they were young. Complex issues oversimplified in argument. Parallels? I see them.

We are in the midst of a paradigm shift with a focus on community, communication, and real-time interaction. And that is just what the Twitter folks are offering to us from behind the scenes during their time of trial. I plan to stay focused on the communication, community and real-time interaction that best supports my work, and stay out of the way to let them do theirs.

is it really June??

It has been an unbelievable few weeks. With multiple cases of strep throat and high fever viruses, the height of track season, job offers, and the end of the school year hysteria… May is gone. Welcome June!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about human nature, and how easy it is to get caught up in us/them. A few weeks ago I found myself in a conversation in which I, too, was positioning myself within those who know, talking about ‘those who don’t know.’ And it made me realize just how intentional we need to be in order to be inclusive. To banish a deficit perspective, and consider the commonalities between us, we open ourselves to making connections that we otherwise may not have seen. And really, it is sharing perspectives that makes for rich conversation and learning. Ultimately, that is the goal.

alternative assumptions

I continue to think about what it takes for human beings to change, to adjust, to adopt new ways of doing things. This turns my thinking to social learning theory- that we learn and grow from our interactions with and observations of others. I think often about the ways we participate in the assumptions we live within: what we eat, where we go, what we do is based on what we know from what we have done before and what we see of others. The expectation of what we think others are doing is powerful.

So when we think about change, think about influence, think about what will bring forward the conversation, when do we think about our underlying assumptions? The underlying assumptions of others? When we talk about bandages, tissues, the shop who sells fair-trade, shade-grown coffee, independent booksellers, local food-source driven markets and restaurants, we provide alternative assumptions to the big box, every corner, mass marketed assumptions of our consumer culture. When we look at how we communicate, what tools we use, what behaviors we expect in our interactions with others, and their expectations of us, we have the opportunity to be the change, support the change we want to see.

Assumption is powerful. Is it a vehicle for change?