BioBlog

Will Richardson’s Big Shift #3, “The Social, Collaborative Construction of Meaningful Knowledge” has probably had the most impact on my teaching practice so far.  Through blogs, I have connected with at least one educator who offers collaboration with my students.  When I design my lessons, I now think with the future in mind, imagining how the isolated work in a single classroom can become part of a greater picture.  I believe that my students will help me design the future look of my classes because they will contribute ideas that are meaningful to them.  They are well equipped to critique a project and tell me whether or not it makes sense as a learning tool; and they, no doubt, have ideas that have not occurred to me yet.  I see myself moderating their ideas, defining parameters, keeping them on track and safe.  In some instances, I will probably need to motivate and, in other cases, curb their enthusiasm so that they stay focused on “constructing meaningful knowledge.”

I cannot say that my views on social networking have changed as a result of this class; rather, my views have developed as a result of this class.  I was unaware of how the Read/Write Web could be geared toward learning.  Until recently, I utilized the Internet only to gather information and images or to send emails.  With technology at my fingertips (literally), I now see the opportunity to utilize Web 2.0 tools as a two-way street toward the construction of learning communities.
big shift

My response to Skype Ideas can be found on David’s blog.   http://davidbakki195300.edublogs.org/
skype

Connecting through Skype was fun!  Turning on my laptop to find messages waiting added yet another dimension to networking.  The experience brought to life the opportunities to communicate with others who come from different backgrounds and perspectives.  It is refreshing to learn how people in other states or countries view education and implement curricula.

This tool can be used for both professional development and classroom instruction.  We are planning a school visit next week to a district that is in its second year of the Classrooms for the Future initiative.  The teachers and administrators are both gracious and generous to allow us to visit;  however, the CFF initiative is becoming so widespread that it could be less intrusive if teachers hooked up a webcam and a microphone at their convenience and broadcasted to other schools involved in the same endeavor.  This would be another instance of using the web to work collaboratively and would eliminate groups of observers distracting students.  It would also allow sharing over greater distances where travel becomes expensive.  For example, I attended a conference where a team of presenters from a school in Georgia offered new and exciting ideas.  Since I cannot go to Georgia, Skype could bring Georgia to me!  It would be great to see the kids in action and to hear their assessment of the strategies.

In the classroom, the connections made through blogs could also be enhanced with Skype.  The use of IM would interest the students, and the addition of webcams and microphones should stimulate increased participation.  Students seem to respond to venues that are more closely aligned with their world. 

The following comments by Jay Cross found at http://bcefall07pls.wikispaces.com/PRO+Group seem to be contradictory to George Siemens’s ideals surrounding his connectivism theory. Mr. Cross states that “the bottom line is performance, not learning” and that “the group mind is your friend.” In a blog post made on October 4, 2007, Mr. Siemens expresses concern about the use of Web 2.0 to surround oneself with others who support one’s own thinking.  http://connectivism.ca/blog/2007/09/on_distinctions_between_change.html
Therefore, the “group mind” can be any group that an individual chooses to identify with and not necessarily a group created with a balanced perspective. 

Scientific American publishes “60-Second Science” a daily podcast of an important topic in the scientific world.  (http://www.sciam.com/podcast/index.cfm?e_type=25)

Instead of beginning class with my traditional “Brainwarmer,” I would use the podcast as a kickoff for discussion.  The archives would also allow me to select something pertinent to the unit we are studying.  I particularly like this series because it is created by a credible source and it is short enough to be practical, even for students with attention disorders.  This activity can also be used as the spark to ignite students’ interest in creating their own podcasts. 

My podcast is available at http://www.mypodcast.com/cached/deb_20071025_2300-116768-52073-2-25-49000.mp3

Recently, I took my AP Biology students to the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium for a “Behind the Scenes” tour.  Our favorite moments were spent with a macaroni penguin such as the one in the photo that I obtained from Flickr.  Most of the students took pictures of exotic animals during our tour, but we study many life forms in our own backyard as well.  A Flickr album of pictures of the organisms in our environment could be shared with students from other areas.  This would enable students to learn from each other about the plants and animals that are not native to their own climates.

“Pretty Boy.”  Online image.  (January 31, 2006).  ImNoFish’s Photostream.  Retrieved October 23, 2007, from http://flickr.com/photos/55288051@NOO/93934269.

The development of a wiki this week was an eye-opener.  I learned quickly that it is great to have a partner who knows a lot more than I do about navigating through new tools!  It drove home the power of cooperative learning and the richness of collaboration in the classroom and in the workplace.  My partner’s dedication also pushed me to learn more and to do my part so that I didn’t let her down–another asset of the wiki for those who are trying to learn. 

My husband, watching my struggles, commented that I was learning the best way by doing it myself, having no one to ask.  I realize that the opposite is true of learning this way.  Instead of learning by myself, I had an entire network to rely on for assistance; I just had to ask.  Students using wikis in my classroom will have the same opportunity to connect with many others, and they will have the ability to communicate questions and ideas instead of relying only upon themselves.

One additional thing that happened this week was my allowing my students to use Wikipedia as a resource in their research.  I taught them what I had learned about the reliability of Wikipedia and I reminded them that one source is never sufficient, but that Wikipedia is apparently much more reliable than I thought. 

As we scramble to implement the latest changes in technology, adding weblogs, resource pages, and aggregators to our repertoire, George Siemens quotes Jean Baudrillard on his distinctions between “change” and “becoming.”  (http://www.conncectivism.ca/blog/2007/09/on_distinctions_between_change.html) Siemens says that while we have “a vague sense of what we don’t want to be,” we are “grasping for clarity on what we are becoming.”  He says that “as educators, our emphasis needs to be on increasing learners’ ability to function in unknowing environments.  A lesson we first need to learn ourselves.”  Siemens further writes that the first role of education is to react to trends and use the tools we think learners need and will use.  The second role, as he sees it, is that of moving educated people toward a desire to change society for the better.  Siemens’s concern (in response to my comment on his blog) is that unless we teach the value of diversity, social networkers risk surrounding themselves with like-minded people rather than “understanding others who hold dramatically different worldviews from our own.”

In light of George Siemens’s comments, do you see technology, especially the Read/Write Web, as an opportunity to help students “become” more democratic and sensitive toward individual freedom or not?   Is it the responsibility of the educator to ensure that students are not networking only with people who think like themselves?  I look forward to your thoughts.

One of my responses can be found on Pam’s blog at http://www.riskyeducationalwonders.blogspot.com/

My comment on BJ’s Blogical Discussion can be found at:

http://techinclassroom.blogspot.com/2007/10/4a2-blogical-discussion-forum.html