The Cusp of a New Era

We're Not in Kansas Anymore Toto!

I recently had the pleasure to read Jeff Whipple's blog. He shared in his most recent post a vision of what could be, and I felt compelled to share it with you. This vision may present us, the potential for what may happen as we enter this new frontier. Epic 2015

Vyew:
A Classroom's Adventure
into Online Collaboration

I have mentioned in previous posts that exposure to the sheer volume of technology can often be overwhelming. Whether it is blogs, wikis, or podcasts, there exists almost unlimited instructional potential these technologies present, and I struggle to create some order to it all. Furthermore, I am not even sure if these technologies are accomplishing my intended goals. Lately, I began to realize that while I was worried about created an online read/write platform, my class was developing a collaborative community right under my nose.
About one month ago, I asked five students to participate in an online experiment utilizing Skype and an online interactive whiteboard called Vyew . Vyew is a free, always on collaboration and web conferencing site that allows individuals real-time desktop sharing and capturing. I met with this small group of students, and we began what was essentially on online tutoring session for an upcoming essay. We did nothing that had not been done during the course of a classroom session, except we were all in our individual homes, and it was 8:30 p.m.. I began to sense, over the course of that hour long session, a wave of energy and enthusiasm from the participants. One month later, this concept of online collaboration has taken on a life of is own. Just last night, twenty sophomores from my A.P. European History classes, met online and did a Skype - Vyew session in preparation for an essay exam today. The remarkable thing is, I was not even a part of it. Individual initiative got last night's conference off the ground. More power to the students!

This was exactly the medicine I needed.

The Curse of a Moving Target

Over the past several months, I have had the luxury of developing a friendship with a private industry consultant in the field of creative thinking and problem solving. This individual is a successful consultant in the Chinese market, and I have been able to sustain a relationship with this person through the on line program Skype. Our conversations have covered the gambit, from cooking, to health, to the weather. However, I feel fortunate that this individual has become a mentor, in that he has often taken the time to share his ideas on the potential of the technologies available in this web 2.0 world. Often times, I feel like I need to send him a check, or at least one of my wife's secret family recipes.
In our most recent conversation, I expressed several frustrations I am feeling as an educator in a world where the very technologies I profess to promote, have created a tremendous amount of anxiety within me. Simply, my organizational methodology has always worked from a concrete framework, with identifiable objectives, planned and uniform assessments, and detailed lessons. These powerful technologies, have created an uncertainty as to what technology or methodology I hang my hat on, and how will those technologies provide the students I service, with a building block upon which to begin to effectively advance their learning. In a nutshell, I am having difficulty constructing that concrete instructional framework that will guide my classroom.
At that moment, my friend gave me some insight. Like an individual who has difficulty seeing the forest from the trees, he simply reiterated something I had forgotten. The technologies being introduced on a daily basis, are providing the individual looking to master them with a moving target. This is the curse that these technologies present. Like an engineer trying to build a dam that controls the forces of nature, I have forgotten that these technologies are entering the market, or the work environment in such a manner, that no dam, or framework I ever construct, will ever be able to control their power and potential.
This forces me as an educator to question how I can effectively introduce these powerful tools in a manner that will create a life-long learner in the 21st century. What I discovered, again with the help of my friend, is that my role as an educator in a technologically changing environment, must provide the students with a vision that empowers them for the rest of their lives. This contradicts my personal comfort zone, as well as all of my training. The biggest hurdle I must overcome is the personal need to construct a concrete framework, with defined objectives. I must also realize that I must practice what I preach, and look out to the internet to collaborate with other educators struggling with this same issue. Furthermore, I must become a product of my own vision. With that said, there must still be some order, I just have not worked that out yet.

A Tasty Platter for
Technology and Literacy

Being that I enjoyed my mother's famous Thanksgiving smorgasbord, I felt it apropos to speak of a newly discovered technology with a little holiday slant. I have been thinking a lot lately (I know, don't be too afraid) about the potential obstacles that web 2.0 technologies present. In particular, how an individual being exposed to these potential tools of literacy for the first time, can easily design a system that allows them to effectively utilize the power of these tools. How can search engines, blogs, social bookmarking, pod casting, dark internet searches, all be utilized in a manner that allows the user a seamless application of one to another. It presents a problem similar to that of the average person sitting down to a Thanksgiving feast. How can one individual, sitting down for one meal, be expected to adequately digest all of the scrumptious dishes? Where does one begin? I don't really know what to say about Thanksgiving, I simply become the poster boy for glutony. However, I think I may have a website that will help the user of today's technology create the ultimate hub for information gathering. Imagine, starting your day on the net by simply going to one site. The site is http://pageflake.com

Pageflakes is a personalized startpage that lets you read news and blogs, start Web searches, maintain an address book, manage To-Do-Lists and much more, all from one page.

Having all of this information on a single site, allows the user to move from one application to another, with almost no effort, creating a seamless technological platform. If you want to google something, it is right there. If you want to bookmark a site, or blog, it is right there. If you want to subscribe to a blog, view a pod cast, or Digg the latest news, it is all there.

The site is extremely user friendly, and can be constructed in minutes. Modifications to the page will take some user thought, due in part to the many flakes (tools) the user may choose. Utilizing a start page such as Pageflake will help to promote the tools of literacy available on the net.

Literacy that's the
Name of the Game

I recently had a discussion with a colleague regarding the use of technologies in class. At one point, we were discussing the false perception many people have regarding the value of these technologies. The problem may lie in the fact that people, unfamiliar with technologies, look at these new technologies and see only tech skills. There may be a belief out there that these technologies will be used in the environments of higher education, or the professional sector, and students will need to be trained in these technologies to be effective students or employees. My only problem with this perception is the fact that technology is continuously evolving and morphing into more advanced updates and more dynamic platforms.

I have been an avid reader of a blog called tech crunch. This blog, which posts anywhere from 4 - 12 new technologies hitting the net daily, has made me aware that we are living in an age where technology is in permanent state of innovation and flux. The potential problem this presents, lies with the varying learning curves that exist amongst today's educators. This can be extremely overwhelming. A teacher trying to expose their students to the latest and greatest technologies, can feel like a salmon swimming upstream. No doubt it is impossible to stay on top of all that exists, and all that will be created. How are educators expected to utilize these technologies within their individual content areas, when what they are using may be surpassed in capabilities the next day?

This is where we have to recognize that these technologies present the learner and teacher with more than skills, they provide a platform that promotes literacy, critical thinking, and collaboration. It does not matter whether it is a blog, wiki, podcast, or interactive online white board, these technologies form the foundation that promotes intellectual skills better than anything ever offered before. Technology can help the student and teacher become a better reader, thinker, learner, and collaborator. Thus, when our students leave our classrooms, they will be able to apply these intellectual skills to any technology they may be asked to use.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Whenever I read comments or have a discussion about the impact technology is having on our world, in particular education, I cannot help but sing to myself the 1975 David Bowie song lyrics, Changes.

I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence and
So the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same

The problem is, lately this melody and chorus is beginning to repeat itself like a scratch in a cd. You know this sensation, that tune you hear someone sing and cannot get out of your mind. It can actually keep you up at nights.

Honestly, it's not that bad yet. The problem I am having is that any form of change within an established institution like education can be an awfully daunting task. The reason is the culture of the very institution. There exists a long held tradition in education that change occurs in the form of structure, order, or some framework. Education has numerous well established features that do not look kindly upon change.

My question of the day is what features exist in our educational environment that inhibits change. (look at the entire educational community, from students to teachers, from administrators to the community).

The Culture of Technology

I cannot express my excitement from reading all of your comments. Although, I am always looking for road blocks to reflect upon and overcome. I cannot help but think of something I recently read on a blog. It has a lot to do with our culture and the way in which ideas such as technology are accepted, adopted, and utilized. The automobile is a technology that is readily made available to our young people these days. With this technology comes a tremendous amount of responsibility. This responsibility has taken the shape of drivers education courses, along with the initial skills of driving being taught by generations of drivers who have, in most cases, mastered the skill of handling a ton of metal on the highways, traveling 65 m.p.h.. Today, we hand the keys of our family auto to our children, worried that they will make the right choices, as part of the life-long skills that will allow them to effectively function within this world.

As time passes, let us hope that the new technologies will be accepted as much as the automobile. Maybe our first step toward accepting the benefits of such technologies is to develop an cultural movement that educates both students and parents to the benefits and dangers of these technologies.

Bloglines: Why You May Need This!
The thought of developing an information management system sounds really cool! Or maybe not, I don't know. My father often told his four boys, while sitting around the family camp fire in Alleghany State Park in the 1970s, different strokes for different folks.

We have been discussing new ways of looking at learning in our classroom and it has been a challenge for all members involved. Recently, I drew a pie on my tablet and divided the pie into eight pieces. I asked the class to come up with a way in which we can make more pieces of pie, without cutting the pie into smaller pieces. In the end, the answer lies in looking at the pie in a three-dimensional manner instead of the traditional two-dimensional. We took the cross-section of the pie and cut that in half, creating sixteen pieces. Students learning in the 21st century classroom need to take a similar approach with the new technologies. Often times, students look at the internet as a ends. They simple google information, take the information they find, and transfer that information into whatever context they need. However, they are rarely utilizing their own critical thinking skills. That is where students and teachers need to recognize the different dimensions of the technologies. Blogging is one means that promotes an individual's thinking. Ever since introducing the blog into class, we have identified the exercise as an intellectual exercise. This exercise is a means in which the reader gathers information and analyzes the materials (other blogs). Once they have read numerous blogs on a particular topic, the individual can identify pertinent information, categorize and prioritize the information, and synthesize their findings into their own blog. One method that has proven to be an efficient means of achieving this is using an aggregator. An aggregator is a collector of blogs, that allows an individual to subscribe to numerous blogs, on any subject matter they want, and continuously collect thoughts and ideas. It is this aggregator that becomes a source of information that empowers the individual to develop an expertise from individuals across the globe.

Students learning to blog, must learn the value of a RSS (Real Simple Syndication) feed. (Don't get overwhelmed with the tech-talk)

RSS is a simple XML-based system that allows users to subscribe to their favorite websites. Using RSS, webmasters can put their content into a standardized format, which can be viewed and organized through RSS-aware software or automatically conveyed as new content on another website. (Wikipedia)

On their own, RSS feeds do not adequately feed you information. The user of RSS feeds need a feed reader, or an aggregator, that can check a list of feeds and update those feeds with updated information. The aggregator of choice in our classroom is bloglines. This a free-ware program, that allows individuals to subscribe to blogs across the blogosphere. As your teacher, I have been utilizing this to collect and subscribe to your blogs since the beginning of the year. Bloglines is a simple program that can be subscribed to within minutes.

The following is a simple tutorial that will allow an individual to establish a bloglines account.

1. Go to www.bloglines.com.
2. Click on the line create an account
3. Submit your email address into the appropriate field, along with your password. A piece of advice, make your password something you will never forget.
4. Once you have duplicated your password, hit the subscribe button.
5. At this point, you have registered and will have to open up your email to activate your bloglines account. Once this is done, your bloglines account is ready to role.

The fun has only begun because a bloglines without subscriptions is simply another program that takes up useless space on your hard drive. Each individual with a bloglines account must subscribe to the RSS feed. That is accomplished by clicking on the my feed tab in the right corner of the tab bar. A simple add text will appear, and the user will click on that. A screen will appear with a blog or url feed field. The individual simply puts into that field the url address (example: classroomchange.blogspot.com). The individual will hit the subcribe button, at that point the screen will show the available feeds with a check box next to the feeds. Look at the small text that reads RSS. Click on that and scroll down to the bottom of the page and hit subscribe. At that point, you have effectively created a subscription to that blog.

Good luck and begin to enter the blogosphere!

The world of education according to Pat appears to be simple. With greater internet access comes a greater opportunity for individual empowerment. The learning of individuals can become easier, more expansive, and lasting. However, as the opportunity to empower the individuals ability to think, there also exists the individuals exposure to a tremendous amount of inappropriate content. Over the course of this past week, I have struggled as an educator and father of four with several perceptions and vulnerabilitites of technology. Most recently, it has been about our recent economics assignment.

The assignment asks students to choose a product or service within a specific
market for the upcoming holiday season. The students construct a hypothesis and
research the market to determine their hypothesis is accurate.

In order for the student to properly sift through the information on the internet, they must utilize a skill and technology called social bookmarking. Our class has begun to utilize the social bookmarking site called del.icio.us. At it’s core, del.icio.us is a place where you can store your bookmarks and get to them from anywhere you can find an internet connection. These types of tools afford us, as internet users, to become an effective information systems manager. However, like all technologies associated with the internet, there is the realities that these technologies open up the user to a world deemed very inappropriate (sexual content, violence, drugs, alcohol, etc). As a father of four and an educator, I am fearful that these valuable technologies will not be afforded to our children throughout their education.

I want to know what others are thinking. I want to know if students are recognizing the potential. I want to know the fears of parents. I want to know the general mood toward introducing these technologies into the high school classroom.

How Will Any of This Make Sense?

Social Bookmarking and Information System Management:

Wow! That phrase best captures my emotions as a teacher attempting to begin sharing the ideas of social bookmarking and the concept of information management systems. Wow represents my own excitement as to the discoveries I am making exploring the internet. Wow represents the overwhelming sense of confusion I feel looking out into the classroom. Wow sometimes represents the power of these tools and the cascading effect of ideas that seems to hit me all at once. I truly experience many different emotions and thoughts as a result of the potential of these tools, and I have been wrestling with them for 4 1/2 months. I can only imagine how students being exposed to these tools for the first time are handling it.

In reading several comments regarding the need for more structure, I decided to address several points in this blog, with the intention of providing a simple understanding of what we are trying to accomplish.

One of the many goals in class is to open the eyes of the students to the power that lies beneath the internet. In particular, the power of social bookmarking and a new internet phrase called information management systems that have evolved over the past decade. Many people look at the internet as a means of downloading information. However, in recent years there has been a growing phenomena called social bookmarking.

Social bookmarking is a web based service, where shared lists of user-created Internet bookmarks are displayed. Social bookmarking sites generally organize their content using tags. Social bookmarking sites are an increasingly popular way to locate, classify, rank, and share Internet resources through the practice of tagging and inferences drawn from grouping and analysis of tags.

In our class, we are looking to develop these communities utilizing the social bookmarking tool called del.icio.us. This tool will become the academic hub of our social networking, allowing us to manage information in a systematic individualized manner. It is in the student's del.icio.us account that they construct a personal list of bookmarks and subscriptions that will allow them to collect an infinite amount of information from the internet, classifying all information with appropriate tags. Students can also subscribe to other's delicious accounts, and have people subscribe to theirs. This opens up a even greater opportunity to expand your knowledge of a subject.

The concept of social bookmarking coupled with the expanse of the internet allows the individual, to extend and expand their contacts, contextual background, and points of view, unlike ever before. In the end, the student is learning how to build an information management system, something that will be extremely vital in the future.

Kicking the Tires of Technology
in the Classroom

Recently I have assigned an internet based research project to my economics class. The project design is to introduce the students to the power of social bookmarking and the way in which browser tools, firefox extensions in particular, can assist the students in sifting through the information and making sense of the voluminous amount of information that they will explore. The assignment asks the students to form an economic hypothesis based on the upcoming holiday season. In a nutshell, students are to choose a product or service, and state whether or not that product or service will achieve market expectations. The students will utilize delicious.com as a hub of social bookmarking, along with extensions such as clipmarks to gather their information. In presenting this information to the students, I became aware of several reactions based on their body language. A number of students appeared to be truly excited. When I modeled the usage and power of several tools, several light bulbs began to go off. This of course is as exciting to me as their classroom teacher, as it was for them as students. However, I would be misleading the readers if I did not include several students who appeared to be overwhelmed. I explained to the class that change often brings with it four emotions (ANGER, SADNESS, DENIAL, AND ACCEPTANCE) that may inhibit a student's willingness to put forth an honest effort with an open mind. My question goes out to anyone interested in assisting me and those students who may be overwhelmed. How can a teacher, trying to introduce these new methods, engage a larger portion of the student body?

How a Kernal of Wisdom Can Lead the Way

A Kernal of Wisdom


I cannot help but think back to 1982, I was a sophomore, sitting inside a research room, on the third floor in the Orchard Park high school library, listening to my guidance counselor, Mrs. Peterson, discussing the career options that we faced as we neared the often over-hyped, critical decision-making moment of adulthood. I specifically remember that Mrs. Peterson pointed to what appeared to be a television screen with a key board in front of it. She explained that this was a computer and that this new technology is "going to be really big" in the future. Well, needless to say, I could not envision how having a t.v. screen would make typing my papers or essays any easier.

Flash forward twenty-four years and I kick myself in the backside thinking of the many financial opportunities missed as a result of my ignorance, or the inability of the system at the time to help me think about our world differently. Now, I believe I had a tremendous group of people as teachers, and truly believe that an individual's educational experience is in direct proportion to the amount of effort that individual puts forth. Hey, lets face it, in 1982, no one I knew could have possibly foreseen the potential of that little t.v. screen. I also believe that the educational institution back in 1982, was not set up to allow for that form of creative exploration.

However, here I stand, twenty-four years later, as an educator, in the very institution that could not foresee the potential impact of a computer. I believe the educational institution in America is at a very important crossroads that will absolutely define the future of this nations economic competitiveness, as well as its position relative to the rest of the world. Currently, our educational institution is anchored in a search for academic accountability, both for the teachers as well as the students. That accountability has become oppressive due in part to our political leadership, as well as our culture, at the federal, state, and local levels, which have steered education toward a path of standardization, content, and conformity. This industrial form of education may have best served the masses when the sources of knowledge were limited by geography or other socio-economic reasons. However, sophomores in today's high schools live in a completely different environment than I did in 1982. The current technology has washed away barriers to information and opened up the world to an era of unprecedented accessibility. No longer do students need to depend on the teacher and the physical classroom or school as the source of knowledge, they can reach out and touch any idea, on any level, almost anywhere in the world. What is disappointing is our educational INSTITUTION is not recognizing this change. So here I sit, at the crossroads, in a wonderful and exciting era of change, contemplating my role in this changing academic environment, when I begin to think about a little kernal of wisdom I read years ago. Mr. Yunke, a science teacher at Orchard Park, would put on his chalkboard a daily quote, in hopes of inspiring thought. One of the first little kernals I can remember was the old Chinese quote "a journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step". This quote always seems to be something I say whenever I begin a large project, or start to pursue an idea. Today, I find myself repeating those very same words. This time, my first steps begin a journey that will be extremely challenging.

The First Step: My Declaration

Change must occur!!! Our academic community, teacher, student, administrator, and parent must begin to redefine their role and function within the school. Teachers need to recognize that their role and relationship with the student must be redefined as facilitator, learner, model, and coach. Students need to recognize how the technology empowers them unlike an other era in our history. Administrators must become visionaries, promoting creativity from their faculty that will expand student learning beyond the content standards. Parents must realize their ability to become more involved in their child's academic and intellectual growth. Education must look to maximize the intellectual powers of both all groups in ways never before achieved. The long held institutional ideals of accountability and standardization must evolve into something more practical for the 21st century student.

This is my proclamation, my beginning. I will chronicle this journey, with questions, insight, examples, and testimonies in the hopes of helping others recognize the need for change.