Monday, May 10, 2010

Top 10 Technology Tips for Educators, Revisited

In January I created a list for a first-week assignment in my course in emerging technologies for libraries. On the Classroom 2.0 Ning two years earlier Kate Olson had posted a query: "what do ... teachers need to know in order to teach effectively in today's technology environment?" [Google doc "transcript" of replies here.] As in the CR2.0 post, my hypothetical intended audience was teachers, for professional development. The list follows, with my current commentary in red:
  1. Computers and other technology are only tools. What matters is the educational relationship, the quality of critical thinking, the support of creativity, the respect for the learner. People run schools using sticks to draw in the dirt. If the tool is failing or the site is blocked, keep breathing and move on. This advice of mine was useful to me this semester -- not only due to technical snags but also whenever it seemed we wouldn't meet our educational objectives in the allotted time. Much of teaching seems to be skillfully adapting to changing conditions.
  2. Following from #1, and as stated in earlier comments to the posting: don’t let the tail wag the dog. Start with objectives for what students will Know, Understand, and be able to Do after a lesson, then ask if technology will help and if so what sort. I expect this process will take years to master, especially as the technology tools keep changing.
  3. Wikis are fun ways to build sites quickly and allow students to contribute. Two good sites for free educational wikis are Wikispaces and PBWorks (formerly PBwiki – because they’re as easy to build as Peanut Butter & jelly sandwiches). “Wiki” from the Hawaiian word for “fast”, as in “Wikipedia” for the quickly-built and quickly-updated encyclopedia. I had good experiences this semester with wider contributions to our library wiki, and a growing content base.
  4. Wikipedia itself is not evil. High school students, for example, need to learn to critically evaluate sources and be accountable for the accuracy of their research. Of course, we don’t want them to rely on Wikpedia as their only reference, but there’s nothing wrong with including it as they learn about a topic. More and more educators seem to be understanding and teaching new concepts of authorship and source-checking, rather than just banning Wikipedia as a source.
  5. Microblogging is another safe way for teachers to get our toes wet. Twitter is exceptional for building our own professional learning networks; Edmodo allows for private microblogging between teacher and students. Although I have come to value Twitter as a resource even more, I have not been using Edmodo and I have become concerned about Formspring.me.
  6. A key learning objective to convey is the ability and habit of cross-checking factual data. For example, we can assign topics like the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus or the Rock Nest Monster to challenge students’ assumptions about the validity of online information. I am looking forward to implementing these lessons.
  7. Other ways to develop one’s Professional Learning Network: Nings like Classroom 2.0, UDL4All (Universal Design for Learning), other professional Nings or listservs tied to one’s discipline. Twitter-follow teachers whose work you admire, or friend them on Facebook. Facebook privacy settings now allow a finer level of control than when it started. The new cost structure on Ning may require updating this list. Technology Integration in Education, for example, has already moved to www.Grou.ps.
  8. Try using streaming media to replace DVDs or VHS tapes. Use our Discovery Education subscription, or try Teachers Domain for additional free content aligned to the curriculum frameworks. This is no harder than showing a YouTube video. This may be a little harder than showing a YouTube video, because it requires a log-in. I've since attended some Discovery Education webinars, plan to attend a day-long training next weekend, and expect to be certified as a DEN STAR shortly. I believe DVDs will eventually go the way of the CD and we need to do a better job cataloging streaming media options. 
  9. A blog can be a simple way to update students and parents on upcoming work and themes for a week, module or term. Some educational blog sites can be accessed through school filters, including the ones provided with our TeacherWeb subscriptions. I discovered a simple renaming made my blog accessible to students, and that blogging was much easier than I expected. This may be one of my biggest take-aways from the course.
  10. If students are going to be asked to access particular sites or tools, make sure they work through our filters with student-level privileges in advance of the lesson. It’s also handy to have printed-out resources in case of last-minute network failures. Yes. I learned this the hard way and it's still true. 
Although the original content of my list stands, I find that I read the text differently with a semester of experience passed -- another semester as teacher and learner both.
 

    Thursday, May 6, 2010

    The Neandertal Genome

    The Neandertal Genome
    Breaking news from the AAAS -- special feature available online or in the print edition of Science tomorrow!

    Tuesday, May 4, 2010

    ILS and OPAC research

    My class homework for LBS 850 this week serendipitously aligned with questions around my school district about library automation systems and discovery interfaces. I collected many new links as I did my research, organizing them in my Delicious account with tags like ils and library and library2.0. I found that I gained new confidence in my library network's choice for a new discovery interface, and resolved to learn it as soon as possible, with a goal of Beta-testing over the summer. As I will also be piloting a new web-design interface with my school district, it will be a good time to look at how we can integrate the social aspects of SOPAC 2 with a learning commons website and our existing wikis. We'll be collaborating left and right to share our resources within our learning community and beyond, and it was a great time to consider cost reductions and examine the state of the art.