The Final Post of 831

Well, here it is. The end of EC&I 831. Man, it feels like we just started. Anyway, lets get down to the final thoughts. My first comment is in regards to the content that was covered in this class. I think the area that had the most impact for myself was the exploration of software programs. We covered a ton and there was no way that I could keep up with all of them. However, I appreciated being exposed to the various programs as the bulk had an instant connection to the classroom (thus the course description) that was easily identifiable. I lost count with how many times I started experimenting the day after we had a class.

Along the same thought was recording the sessions. Many times throughout the course I was on information overload and it was nice to go back and review the recordings. It also allowed for an additional laugh when humourous quips would be posted or said by my fellow classmates. The back channeling that occured was also invaluable. I believe it is this type of discussion that makes graduate classes truly valuable. Its not the theory but the application of theory through the thoughts and practices of others. That is where the higher learning takes place.

I would give the guest speakers a B+. Overall I thought they were beneficial but at times maybe too theoretical. I really appreciate being able to take home ideas that I can readily apply but I found that I did not get that from all of our speakers. I would say that Darren Kuropatwa, Dean Shareski, and the combination of D’Arcy Norman & Brian Lamb were my highlights.

To the entire crew of 831 thanks for making my last class an enjoyable one. Thanks Alec for pushing the envelope for me and really opening my eyes up to the new age of networking and all that goes along with it. I really enjoyed the class and soaked in tons of info. Its hard to believe that the journey is over for me but I have no desire to start over. I’m also not going to say that it seems like yesterday that I started because that would be a lie. For those that are finishing along with me…cheers. When I started out my university career there is no way that I thought I would end up with three degrees. In fact, I just about left after my first to join the RCMP but this education gig is not bad so I’m glad I stuck with it. I’ve met a lot of great people and I know that there are many more to come.

Until next time…keep your head up and your stick on the ice.

Educational Site

I have just been adding to and reviewing our growing collaborative site for EC&I 831 and I am impressed. We have quickly built a site that contains much valuable information on a number of topics related to education and technology. Our site sure saves a lot of Google time looking for resources. Thanks again to everyone that has contributed. If you are an educator that has stumbled across my blog make sure to check out this great educational site that I am referring to.

Chris Lehmann – Science Leadership Academy

I have to echo the thoughts already posted by Corey. I too enjoyed Chris’s presentation last class but find the backchanneling very productive as well. I think the highlight of Chris’s presentation was when he was talking about data driven decision making and how having poor data results in poor decision making. Currently in Saskatchewan AFLis playing a major role in how school divisions are planning for the future. I wonder how many people either at the provincial level or division level have given any major thought to the process that is being used to gather data. I would hope that preplanning was a major component.

I also liked his comment about society getting away from being number comfortable. Maybe its the math bias in me but Chris’s comment that society is becoming less numeric and being put at risk by not being able to interpret data well is very relevant. How easy has it become for those not so honest individuals to use a little data to back up their con and easily convince many that their position is true and just? Very. I’ll be using this argument in the future for sure. Thanks Chris.

Digital Project Frustration

Frustration has set in once again with my digital project. I’ve created a wiki space and I am trying to link my class marks, via Gradekeeper, into my site. No luck so far. I’ve tried using the export to web function but it isn’t happening for me. I think this project has taken on a life of its own. The more that I visit the site and try and tweak it the more I want to add to it. I can fully understand what Darren Kuropatwa was talking about when he addressed this phenomenon in his presentation. So if anyone out there knows anything about Gradekeeper and can help me out it would be greatly appreciated.

Thoughts on Stephen Downes

I haven’t had a chance to post my reflections on Stephen Downes’ presentation to our 831 class but it wasn’t due to lack of impression. In fact I found Stephen’s presentation to be very impressive for most part. His views on static vs dynamic relationships as applied to technology still has me scratching my head. I’ve been thinking for awhile on this one and I am still not certain what he was getting at. If anyone has a link that I could use to research this it would be greatly appreciated. I just need a little more clarity on this topic.

One weakness that I found in the presentation was that he did get a little too technical for us non computer science people. His description of his program that created a newsletter from searching the web was way over my head. However, I think that the potential of this software is huge. To be able to search the web and create a document with very little effort is going to revolutionize the way that information is brought into the classroom. I can’t wait until this technology becomes user friendly for the general population of educators.

Australian Blog is Shut Down

Our 831 class had the extreme good fortune to chat viaUstream and Skype with educators around the world about the current events surrounding Al Upton’s blog. A quick summary for those that are not familiar with the situation is as follows. Al Upton is an educator from Australia who had his class blog shut down by education authorities for security reasons. At this point in time I am not aware of exactly what the reasons were.

This action has sparked a firestorm of debate around the globe. As I previously stated we had the opportunity to discuss this event with other educators around the globe. Right off the bat I was blown away with how easy it is to chat live with others around the globe. For me this was a great example of connecting as described by Sharon Peters, one of our previous guest lecturers. To be able to chat with Sue Walters and others from Australia added an element to the conversation that I really can’t describe.

As one would imagine the conversation was very pro-blogging and the support for Upton was evident. What else would you expect from educators who support unique uses of technology within classroom settings. In addition the educational authorities who shut down Upton’s blog were on the hit list by those participating in the conversation. This is where my blog is going to take off and it may ruffle a few feathers at the same time.

I first want to state that I am all for technology use in the classroom. In fact one of the main reasons that I took this particular class was to enhance my own personal use of technology in my teaching environment. However, being a principal I also know what it is like on the other side of the fence when it comes to monitoring programming of educators within a school setting. I have no doubt that Upton’s blog served a valuable purpose in his attempts to educate the students in his charge. I also find it hard to believe that the educational authorities who oversee this program would shut down his blog without some reason to do so. In my career I have not witnessed any educational programs that were discontinued or suspended by those in charge without reason.

It is unfortunate that the blog was shut down but regulations need to be in place. There have been too many incidents of educators, for lack of better words, screwing up royally. Regulations are a direct result of this lack of professionalism. Now, I’m not stating that Upton acted unprofessionally, rather that there must have been some reason for the authorities to make the decision that they did. So to say that administrators that the blog was shut down because of this lack of understanding is a load of crap. Maybe the concept of a blog was not fully understood, I can go that far, but I would bet money that there was a clear understanding by the officials of what constituted student safety. There must have been some element(s) in the blog that raised enough red flags that the authorities had to react.

Again, as an administrator, I encourage my teachers to be creative in the classroom. I have shut down some ideas but never because of a lack of understanding. I also have never seen this happen by those that are higher in the chain than myself. Before people begin to point fingers and lay blame on the educational authority get all the facts from all sides. Passion about a topic is great but don’t let the passion cloud the judgement.

Teaching for the Future or the Past?

Our administrators’ group was fortunate to have Mark Prensky’s article “Backup Education?” emailed to us by Dean Shareski. In this article Prensky talks about how teachers are not preparing their students for the future but keeping the past alive. In doing so they, the teachers, are doing a huge disservice to the students. Below is a piece from Prensky’s article.

“Those teachers who want to give their kids a backup education can’t understand or accept that the world of their students is diverging incredibly quickly from their own. They don’t understand that their well-intentioned instinct to “protect” their kids actually has the opposite effect – it prevents their kids from learning what they need to know to succeed in the twenty-first century.”

In my opinion Prensky makes some outstanding arguments about how teachers use excuses to not embrace technology within the classroom. I totally agree with Prensky’s stance and echo his opinion that teachers who engage in this type of approach to education are not fulfilling the needs of their students but their own personal needs. Now Prensky does not say this directly in his article but this is my interpretation of his message.

Give this a read and let me know what you think. Also, it is only three pages long so even us veteran grad students who are article wary can find the five minutes to quickly absorb Prensky’s thoughts.

Backup Education

Second Life: The Sequel

Last night was my second extended round of experimenting with Second Life. I approached the session with an open mind and to see, as an in-school administrator, if I could support this as an educational tool. Like my colleagues Connie, Dan, and Laurie, I still was not impressed with what I experienced. I feel that if Second Life was to be used as an educational tool it may take too long to develop to a point where it is meeting curricular expectations. While I can appreciate the hard work and expertise that it takes to develop this software, I can’t make the connection for use in a classroom setting. With that said I am not opposed to virtual classrooms or virtual learning. There is great evidence of the success of virtual technology in the classroom setting. Virtual dissections and virtual tours are only two examples of virtual technology being involved in education. If you don’t believe me just read Leah’s post on her virtual tour.

Second Life

I just finished my first experience with Second Life and it didn’t impress me. I found the tutorial complicated and had little meaning. I was trying to follow the instructions on the screen but nothing was really working for me (the program was functioning but it didn’t hook me). I will admit that I was never a big Simcity, etc type of person and Second Life reminded me of that.

Anyway, that is a brief summary of my first impression of this program. Hopefully discussion on Wednesday will shed new light that will give me confidence to spend some time with this program.

Frustration

This week we had another great presentation as part of our EC&I class. Clarence Fisher was our guest who shared with us the amazing things that he is doing in his classroom. Unfortunately I had a poor connection and no matter what I tried I kept being disconnected from our Elluminate session. Frustration quickly set in and it made me think about the down side to technology. Everything is great when technology works but the moment that there is a bump in the road, and it always seems to happen at the most inconvenient times, screams of frustration can be heard. I believe it is our job, as the tech savvy people on our staff, to try to calm the waters and continue to help our colleagues see the benefits of technology. We need to keep telling the frustrated folks that there really are more pros than cons and urge them to persevere.

So yes, I was frustrated but I quickly bounced back. I haven’t given up on technology but I’m not to sure I can say the same about the people in this video.  The next time that technology frustrates you think of this video (and it is real), have a laugh, and keep trying. Oh yeah, turn your sound on.