Tag: education

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Tinkering with Twitter

By now you’ve probably heard of Twitter, the latest techno-craze taken up by those-in-the-know, celebrities, and well, me too. It’s so popular that the inevitable “it’s not so great” stories are now making their way into the news. According to this Harvard study (link from BBC news) Twitter hype punctured by study, “…most people only ever “tweet” once during their lifetime…”

“Based on the numbers, Twitter is certainly not a service where everyone who has seen it has instantly loved it,” said Bill Heil, a graduate from Harvard Business School who carried out the work.

That quote alone got me thinking. Since when does everyone have to love the same thing instantly and do things in exactly the same way. Oh, right — school.

A couple of months ago I wrote two posts on the subject of tinkering that have probably gotten me the most (offline) comments of anything I’ve written. Technology Literacy and Sustained Tinkering Time and Tinkering as a mode of knowledge production in a Digital Age.

Part of the magic of tinkering is that everyone does not do the same thing, that people can easily pick up tools and materials (digital or otherwise) and quickly do something that is personally engaging.

Hurray for Twitter for making it so easy to try out, so easy to decide if it’s right (or wrong) for you. Hurray for a world where you can twitter about lunch and twitter to save your country.

Are there parallels to learning?

In some ways, yes… especially for technology, making simple tools available means people (students and teachers) can try them out and find immediate uses. Or discard them quickly. They have a low barrier to entry. Twitter fits this bill nicely.

In some ways, no… education is about asking youth to find their passion and make meaning of the world, without making them hate it. Even if it takes effort to push them into it, even if it takes a caring, persistent adult to show a youth that that passion does indeed exist. Tools that offer a high ceiling, a potential to go further than you ever thought possible, to create, to creep into complexity, to explore a craft deeply, meet this need. That’s not Twitter, nor most of the Web 2.0 world.

Tools that offer both are indeed extremely rare and valuable.

Sylvia

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Join us online – student participation in building the learning environment

TONIGHT! Join us Wednesday, June 3rd, at 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / 12am GMT for a panel discussion with both educators and students on the topic of Student Participation in Building the Learning Environment.

Moderator Susie Boss will lead a panel discussion with Connie Weber, Sylvia Martinez, Marcie Hull, Jane Krauss, and their students. The discussion will include:

  • How does more active participation change how students see themselves–and the wider world?
  • How can we shape learning spaces so that kids are able to take more of the lead of their own learning?
  • How can we change the culture of school so that student participation is the norm?

Date: Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / 12am GMT (next day) (international times here)

Location: In Elluminate. Log in here. The Elluminate room will be open up to 30 minutes before the event if you want to come in early. To make sure that your computer is configured for Elluminate, please visit the support page.

Recordings of the session will be posted within a day of the event.

Thanks to Steve Hargadon for organizing this event – see you online!

Sylvia

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Constructivist Celebration @ NECC 2009

Constructivist Celebration logoThe third annual Constructivist Celebration @ NECC 2009 in Washington DC is now open for registration!

Join colleagues in a daylong celebration of creativity, computing & constructivist learning on June 28th, 2009. This is the day before the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in Washington, DC starts.

The Constructivist Celebration is an opportunity for you to let your creativity run free with the world’s best open-ended software tools in a great setting with enthusiastic colleagues who share your commitment to children, computing, creativity and constructivism. You might think of this stimulating event as a spa day for your mind and soul!

The day kicks off with a keynote, by Gary Stager “What Makes a Great Project?,” and a presentation by Melinda Kolk on unleashing student creativity.

Then you will enjoy five hours of creativity on your own laptop using software provided by consortium members FableVision, Inspiration, LCSI, and Tech4Learning. Representatives of SchooKiT and Generation YES will also be on-hand to assist.

The day ends with an inspirational talk by best-selling author, illustrator, animator and software developer, Peter Reynolds and an opportunity to reflect on the day.

The Constructivist Celebration is an incredibly affordable event for you and your colleagues. $35 gets you hundreds of dollars worth of open-ended creativity software, a great lunch and the day’s activities.

The Constructivist Celebration @ NECC
June 28, 2009, 9:00 – 4:00 PM
Sidwell Friends School
Washington, DC

Find out more and register today at:

http://www.constructivistconsortium.org

Register today! Space is extremely limited and this event was completely sold out last year.

Sylvia

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Bookmark This!

A few months ago I got an email from an editor at Cable in the Classroom magazine asking me for a few recommendations for “must read” educational blogs and a one-line review. I figured that these shouldn’t be the obvious ones, but the ones that I go to first in my blog reader. Well, right after Dilbert, anyway.

Here’s the final article PDF: Bookmark This! Who’s on the leading edge of ed-tech blogging? Our panel of educators shares their must-read lists.

They didn’t use every recommendation on my list, so here are my original suggestions in no particular order:

Bridging Differences Diane Ravitch and Deborah Meier This blog is a treasure. These two experts disagree about much in education. But they have a cogent, civilized conversation about it in their posts. It’s what every conversation online or off should aspire to.

Blue Skunk Blog Doug Johnson – funny and real, authentic librarian/technologist voice from the trenches

Artichoke – A deep, deep thinker

Dangerously Irrelevant Scott McLeod – straddles academia, K-12 technology and leadership

Dy/dan Dan Meyer – A math teacher who walks the talk

Learning is Messy Brian Crosby – reat stories that illustrate the ups and downs of the classroom.

Practical Theory Chris Lehmann – Principal of the Science Leadership Academy, Chris grounds his innovative leadership and ed tech ideas in a deep understanding of pedagogy, progressive teaching, and ethics.

The Fischbowl Karl Fisch – This blog is both the staff development blog for a Colorado high school team of teachers and tech coordinators, but also a great source of information

Tuttle SVC Tom Hoffman – Sharp, biting commentary about the history and politics of progressive education, ed tech and open source software use in schools.

Classroom 2.0 – Actually, this is a Ning social network, but contains blogs, and has many teachers new to ed tech blogging, chatting, and discussing.

Stager-to-Go Gary Stager – opinionated, outspoken advocate for children and authentic technology use. Says things that need to be said, but are typically only whispered to your closest friends.

ASCD Newsblast – a thoughtful selection and commentary on education headlines.

Eduwonkette – Really good analysis of education policy and statistics (Unfortunately she stopped blogging in January 2009)

Advancing the Teaching Profession Barnett Barry – Focus on what teacher quality really means and how to get there.

List of all articles available online from the Cable-in-the-Classroom May 2009 issue.

I love all these blogs for very different reasons. Some because of the quality of writing and thought, some for the adventure of never knowing what they will say, some because their voices pierce through the glut of information found online. All of them make me happy that blogs exist and optimistic about the future of online collaboration and communication.

Sylvia

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Two new white papers on games in education

Two white papers were released last month from The Education Arcade at MIT. Both are about video and computer games for learning, but look at this issue from slightly different angles.

Moving Learning Games Forward looks at games, learning and education with a long lens. It provides a detailed historical analysis of how computer games first were used in schools and proceeds through the heyday of educational software in the 1980s to the present move to web-based games. I was very pleased to see how much of this mirrors my presentation on Games in Education for the K12online conference, but of course, my 20 minute presentation barely skims the surface where they dive deeply. I’ll be adding this to my Games in Education resource wiki for sure!

The paper goes on to lay out some ideas for how learning games should be designed, and has great references and sources for additional reading. This is a must-read for educators seriously interested in games in education.

The second paper, Using the Technology of Today in the Classroom Today, is slightly narrower in focus. It is written for classroom teachers interested in bringing games and simulations into the classroom, with practical suggestions and case studies to help with planning and implementation.

Sylvia

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Constructivist Celebration in the Northwest

The first ever Constructivist Celebration in the Pacific Northwest is an opportunity for you to let your creativity run free with the world’s best open-ended software tools in a collaborative setting with enthusiastic colleagues who share your commitment to children, computing, creativity and constructivism. You might think of this as a spa day for your mind and soul!

Pacific Northwest Constructivist Celebration
Saturday May 16, 2009
Puget Sound ESD (Renton, WA – Seattle area)

Participants will enjoy the day’s activities, complimentary creativity software and a hearty lunch all for just $55. This event is a joint effort between the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the Northwest Council for Computer Education (NCCE), and the Constructivist Consortium.

Dr. Dennis Harper, founder of Generation YES will be there too!

Go to www.constructivistconsortium.org for more information and to register. Space is limited and past events have sold out quickly.

Sylvia

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Student-built computer/projector cart project

This terrific idea just came in from Don Kinslow, a GenYES teacher at Parkview Elementary in Chico, CA. His students built carts with computers and projectors, ready to go for classroom use.

Aaron the Cart Quality Inspector
Aaron, the Cart Quality Inspector

Here’s his story:

Step 1: I had cancelled a regularly scheduled GenYES meeting the week before we went out for Winter Break because many of the students told me that they had other obligations in preparation for Chanukah and Christmas. To my surprise, several students (Karla, Rosa, Aaron, Monique, Ana Cristina, Evangelina and Rebeca) showed up anyway begging to do something GenYES-like. So, I gave the okay. The students formed teams to work on this really fun and exciting project.

Step 2: Each team received a box with a computer cart to build, a refurbished computer, an LCD projector, a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse, speakers and a 25 foot long power strip. I showed them a cart that I had already built and prepared with all the technology devices. Then after observing my cart, they got to work…or was it play?

Step 3: The teams opened their cart box, read the instructions and started putting together what must have seemed like a 3D puzzle. Once the carts were built and ready for the technology devices, Rebeca and her GenYES friends decided to name their carts as if they were newborns. So, instead of Cart 1, Cart 2, and Cart 3, we got Mia Pink, Banana 2, and Roly Poly. Next, the teams got to work on setting up the refurbished computer, an LCD projector, a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse, speakers and a 25 foot long power strip on the newborn carts. This part was more challenging for the teams. Even though they had my example to work from, the quantity of cables to connect was difficult for a few of the students. So, Aaron, a 6th grader, who seemed to have more experience with this type of task, took on the role of Quality Inspector.

Step 4: With the computer carts finished and test run, GenYES students took them to their new classrooms and introduced Mia Pink, Banana 2 and Roly Poly to the receiving teachers. Of course, the teachers were super excited to get their new carts!

This is a terrific idea, and not simply because the teachers got equipment pre-configured and ready to plug in. It also gave a strong message to the whole school community that students can and will be responsible partners in using technology. These students built something of value, not for a grade, but for pride, and learned a lot while doing it. And yes, the names the students gave the carts are cute, but there’s more than meets the eye here as well.

Giving students ownership of their own learning is more than an abstract idea. In an institutional environment where everything is bland and uniform, having an identity stands out. Ownership can be simple and concrete, like the idea of giving the carts names or decorating them. Suddenly, they become more than just the object by itself. They start to represent the children – and are special, just like the children themselves.

If you doubt this, just ask these kids if Mia Pink, Banana 2 and Roly Poly are better than the other carts without names!

Sylvia

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Off to Qatar

This week I’m off on a new adventure – I’m an invited speaker at the ICT Conference 2009: Exploring ICT in Education in Doha, Qatar. I’ve never worked in this part of the world and I’m looking forward to meeting new people from Qatar and other Middle Eastern countries. They’ve asked me to talk about games in education and of course, student voice and student involvement in technology integration to support education.

Qatar seems like a fascinating place, I’ve read up a bit about it (Wikpedia has a nice article) and I’m looking forward to learning more. The first thing I learned is that I didn’t even know how to pronounce it – I assumed it was “kah-TAR”, and it’s actually more like a cross between “gutter” and “cutter” although I’m sure that’s not exactly right either.

The country has a focus on education as their path to the future; these days looking beyond their oil revenues seems like a really smart policy.

Sylvia

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Lessons Learned: Please teach kids programming, Mr. President

The focus on “21st century skills” while scrupulously avoiding the only real new 21st century skill completely puzzles me. This post nails it… please read…

So all I’m asking, on behalf of the thousands of nerds who could one day change the world for the better, is that we give them access to simple, open, programmable devices; a little time to work on them; and a safe space to work in. They’ll take it from there. They don’t need adult supervision, or a certified curriculum. If we network them together, they’ll answer each others’ questions and collaborate on projects we can hardly imagine.

– Eric Ries of Lessons Learned Please teach kids programming, Mr. President

Sylvia