Success!

This is the first post I’m sending from flock.

Yes! I can see the usefulness, especially considering the number of blogs I have at the moment.

However, i don’t see myself using this as my standard server – I love my firefox too much!

Blogged with Flock

Reflections on where we are going

While I was at the round table with many of my OWP friends, learning from Aaron Campbell and sharing frustration and joys with the others, my hubby came home around midnight to find me on the bed with my earphones on in front of the screen. He has learned to accept my quirps, but found it rather ‘addictive behaviour’ on my part to be on the internet at that time, with hardly a hello to him and our son.

Well, that’s what happens when you want to talk to people from all over the world about openweb tools in teaching. I’m glad it was late at night and I was still awake, rather than 7am and I (not morning person) NOT awake   – you can’t imagine how much I appreciate you getting up that early to talk to us, Aaron. Thank you!!!

Sharing with people who experience many of the same barriers and similar joys was a wonderful experience!

In subsequent discussions with my hubby (also a teacher) I brought up quite a few of the points discussed. Yes, he is sceptical about the amount of time invested with use of computers and the outcome -’are we really better teachers?’ and he finds the time spent in class together and the reading of actual paper bound books more valuable. Yet, it was a valuable experience for me to argue my point, especially that of self-responsibilily, which is a major topic in the school. The role of the teacher no longer as ‘the expert’ but as a guide to student’s own expertice.

And, yes, he is still sceptical, but he is more willing to try accept my arguments and may some day apply openweb tools in his teaching. And, I certainly learn more from his scepticism than I would if he just smiled and said ‘good idea, dear’. Having to argue the point and explain what the advantage to your teaching /your students’ learning is, helps me to grow and reflect. Discussions with my fellow owps are helping us all map the world.

Now for my questions: how much of the wheel will need re-inventing? Is teaching for the 21st century different than teaching before? Will we need to teach different skills? Will the others prevail?

How will we overcome the great fear we encounter when we try to get others to see that the world and the way our kids get information is changing? (is it really changing?)

Any more questions out there? Are there any answers?

Get clickable!

I just listened to two podcasts, both very similar in content. The first was Steve Hargadon’s interview with Will Richardson, who thinks kids should be ‘clickable‘, and that it’s the teacher’s job of teaching the kids to be responsible in using internet skills.

Clickability – this is the way I understand it: Your presence on the web and the possibility of others to click on to what you are doing, saying, thinking, etc

I love the term clickability and have been giving it a lot of thought. Then I listened to the round table talk with Clarence Fisher, who had quite a similar position towards ‘clickability’, although he didn’t use this word.

What Clarence mentioned that made a deep impression, was that teachers have an obligation to teach pupils to act ethically on the internet. He mentions that his class has contact with a class in Lebabon and and that classes. They connect what’s going on in the world to how it affects children in these areas. They learn empathy.

Both podcasts stress how reading skills for internet communication has changed and is changing, and how much more important reading is becoming as a result of the new technology. Much more stress needs to be placed on deciding about the sites they encounter – can they be believed? what is the source? what is the position? is it serious? is it critical/ironic/etc?

WOW – who said reading is a skill lost on the youth?!

Starting out

This is the first post on my new Blogfolio.

I’m not quite sure what direction this will go, but isn’t that the most interesting thing about a new journey!?