Media Convergence and Change

I was watching Sunday Morning on CBS, and watched a spot on media convergence. The idea that the word change doesn’t come close to describing what has happened over the last 5 years to the creation, delivery,  and viewing of media. What once required a  separate device to view and create media, a typewriter to write a report, mail to read a letter, a newspaper to read the news, a theater to see a movie, or a radio to hear music,  can now all be done on a single device; giving more power to the users of information and not the producers.

As I watched this, I wondered if my students could understand and appreciate what this means for them in the classroom as future teachers. For some of us, all these changes seem natural, expected. We’re anxious for what new gadgets will make our lives easier and more entertaining. We get a new cell phone every 2 years to upgrade the device so we can do more than just call our friends or purchase an additional personal device to match our incessant demands.

If such never-imagined, dramatic changes have happened in 5 years, what can we expect to change over the next 5 years? I don’t believe it’s a matter of staying on the cutting edge; having the latest and the greatest. It’s about a mindset. Knowing that change brings more change. New teachers can’t rely on their knowledge and experience with education. Teaching and learning are not going to look the same as when they went to school; even their college classes. Will they be willing and able to accept change? More importantly, will they know how to take advantage of change to engage students and create more powerful learning opportunities? This is the change I hope to see.

What defines a quality teacher?

I’ve been working on an article for the NCSS journal, Social Education. They have a technology themed issue every April. I open with the never ceasing cry for teachers to use technology. I remembered a post on David Warlick’s blog.With a quick search, I was able to locate the original August, 2006 post.  I’ve been behind in my RSS reader so I thought I would just see what was new. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I spotted his July 16, 2009 post. It was exactly the same topic, but his thoughts were not the same.

In both posts, Warlick talks asks the same two questions. First, can a teacher be a good teacher without using technology?  He answers that yes, and explains that depending on the subject, there are some teachers who can teach effectively without using technology. Then Warlick asks the second question, is a teacher who is not using technology doing his or her job? The answer to this question is a resounding, no.

If the first post, Warlick calls for an expanded definition of literacy. Over the past three years, there has been a lot of discussion and some progress on establishing such a definition. In the more recent post, Warlick explains that information access is instantaneous. People are Tweeting and posting pictures on social sites before the event is announced in the news.

This changes what it means to be literate. It changes what it means to be a learner.  Today, being able to read and write and pass a test are not enough.  They are not nearly enough.  Today our students must become information artisans, able to learn, work, play, contribute, and prosper in a new and constantly changing and enriching information environment, and do so in a way that conserves the planet — rather than consum it.  We can not do this today by scratching and printing on pulp-based paper.  Teaching and learning must be digital.

Warlick explains he once believed you selected the best tool for the job. He says we can no longer afford to teach that way. Technology is no longer optional.

That too has been my mantra, but it is still not about the technology. It is all about the purpose or intent for using that technology. Using computers for the same 20th century assignment doesn’t do it. Doing a PowerPoint presentation instead of a written report doesn’t make it either.

You can argue that teachers don’t get enough professional development. You can say that school budgets cannot afford to purchase the necessary hardware. (Don’t need to buy the software anymore!) You can even bring in the pressure of high-stakes testing. (This may be one argument I would consider.) But it is first about a teacher’s vision; their ability to recognize the unique opportunities that technology can provide their students. Then it’s about their willingness to be a learner along with their students. Teachers don’t need to have all the answers or even know how to use all the equipment.

It’s all about designing learning tasks that require students to investigate, question, manipulate and synthesize information and apply it. It’s about designing learning environments where students have some control over their own learning. It’s about passion, excitement, surprise, and satisfaction. That kind of learning simply cannot be done with the use of connected technology.

Are we asking the right question?

Today I finally began attacking the ever growing pile of books I want to read. While it’s been sitting in my pile for quite a bit, I finally cracked open Robert Fried’s The Game of School. He begins by making what some may regard as a derogatory and others as the ugly truth.

People think they’re teaching and learning. Students and teachers earnestly comply with what they feel to be their duty. But nobody is really learning much beyond what it takes to pass the next exam or cover the textbook chapter. The Game begins whenever we focus on getting through the school day rather than actually learning.

Fried mentions other familiar topics such as high stakes testing. He believes this has only intensified The Game. He talks about engaging students in learning; creating learning experiences that are meaningful and important to students’ lives. In line with Sir Ken Robinson, Fried talks about an attack on students’ natural drive to learn, their learning spirit.

Our freedom of physical movement is severely restricted, our curiosity is confined, our opportunity to talk to other kids about what we are learning is curtailed…We experience pressure to do well, to be good, to be smart in school. Little by little, grade by grade, we find ourselves relating to school more and more in a way that sharply contrasts with the energy, purposefulness, and joy that young children bring to the challenge of learning how to talk, run, play games, ask, questions, and investigate the world around them. Learning becomes a chore rather than an adventure.

We often seek students’ impression of school by asking them what they learned or what they enjoyed at school that particular day. Perhaps these are the wrong questions to ask! Fried suggests we should be asking, “Did you learn anything in school today that you really want to know more about?” If they can produce an answer to this question, you know they have broached a topic that has meaning.  They’ve made a connection to information they have deemed as meaningful and important; important enough to investigate in more depth in order to find out more about it. They are engaged in their own learning.

Unless our children – of all ages -  are truly engaged in their learning, most of what they experience during school hours passes over them like a shadow of a cloud, or through them like an undigested seed.

Tired of spam!

I wanted to blog. I wanted to be a part of this amazing world where educators can read and write about blogs. I got my own domain and set everything up, only to be inundated by spam! I had to turn the comment feature off! So why write?! I’m definitely not a “techie.” I tried to upload my original posts to this site, but I couldn’t get it to work.  I even asked a techie friend to help me out, and he couldn’t get it to work either. So, when it won’t work the way it’s supposed to, you just find another way to do it!

That’s exactly what I did. Whether or not it’s ethical. Whether  or not the blogosphere will approve, I’ve copied and pasted all of my original posts to my original Blognologist blog to this WordPress blog. I added a line to indicate the original posting date, thinking that might make it somewhat legit.

It feels good to be back, back to where I need to be: writing, thinking, participating, creating, imaging, wondering about blogs and other amazing technologies!

Watching is not enough

This was originally posted to http://blognologist.com/blog on 1/19/09

Tomorrow marks a truly historic day. On January 20, 2009, our nation will induct the first African American President. Each one of us will be a witness to this historic event. Many will watch the extensive coverage via a multitude of media devices such as TV, radio, or streaming video. Some have made the journey to experience history in person. They may upload photos or video to Flickr, a blog, or a friend.

What of the students who will watch from their classroom? Is watching, even discussing such an event enough? If we want our students to be historians, I believe they need to do more that simply watch. They must record the event in some fashion, just as all historians have done. Without such records, history is often lost. One could argue, this event will be recorded by every nation in every way, shape, and form imaginable. Isn’t that enough? Isn’t the answer obvious? No.

So often all we ever do is read about history, or watch a movie about a famous historical event. It takes more than a passive experience to be an historian. It takes interaction, assimilation, and reflection. History is an individual experience. Each of us brings a unique background from which we process an event, establishing a unique perspective. When such personal perspectives, personal accounts are shared with others, we gain a deeper understanding; an empathetic understanding, which can unite the citizens of this ever shrinking world we inhabit.

Students need the opportunity to write about what they saw, what they heard, what they learned, and what this particular time in history means to them. Let them record their thoughts and share these newly recorded pieces of history with others. Let them read and contemplate the perspectives of others. Let them be historians.

The obvious

This was originally posted to http://blognologist.com/blog on 3/4/08

It’s been too long since I’ve last made my thoughts visible. I’ve been just a wee bit busy looking at why and how teachers are using blogs and/or wikis. I have this little book report to finish by the end of April. My life has been totally focused on finishing this work, and I have voluntarily removed myself from the amazing network of educators that exists.

But today I had to write. While searching for some resources to use with my multicultural students, I can across a post by Mark Alhness from March of 2007 no less! In my study, I’ve asked teachers to talk about commenting. Was that an important aspect when they chose to create a blog? How did commenting impact their students? One of my participants referred to a post by Will Richardson seeking examples of students who wrote about the blogging of others. This participant is a 5th grade social studies teacher. He didn’t think there was much of that going on in elementary schools.

Why do we so often miss the obvious? How do we expect our students to instinctively incorporate the interactive sense of audience, bringing what we read, hear, and learn from others into our own writing? Isn’t this yet another skill that we as teachers must include in our instruction? Should we not also model this skill and provide examples of this skill for our students? Duh!!!

Mark is doing just this with his 3rd grade students. Thank you, Mark for making the obvious so obvious. I can’t wait until I once again return to the living and take my place back in this excting network of marvelous teachers like Mark.

To touch a life is to be remembered

This was originally posted to http://blognologist.com/blog on 9/11/07

On the anniversary of 9/11, the morning news programs are filled with stories about the people who lost their lives that day. As I watch, listen, and cry, my heart aches for all the people who are left. The people who loved those so suddenly taken away.

But then I think, “How wonderful!” How wonderful that they made such a difference in someone else’s life. What really tugs at my heartstrings is the fact that the ones who are left are not just family members. They are people whose lives were touched in some way by the victims of 9/11. Like a firemen who saved children from a fire, or a woman who learned sign language in order to teach karate to deaf children. These were individuals who cared about the welfare of others, and wanted to make life better for them.

In a world where we think it’s imperative that we prepare children to be able to compete in a global society, it is just as imperative that we prepare children to think about making this world a better place for their fellow man. How lucky we are to be teachers. The potential to touch a life for teachers is exponential; every life we touch will touch the lives of others. As teachers we have the opportunity to not only teach children about generosity and humanity, but we can serve as models as well.

I hope I have the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life today.

Whose learning schedule is it anyway?

This blog was originally posted to http://blognologist.com/blog on 9/7/07

After reading David Jakes’ post, Sustenance, I wanted to cry. I was saddened by the picture created by his words of losing the art, rather having the art of teaching taken away by the ever present demands of NCLB. I do believe David is correct. NCLB is not going to go away. Who can argue that every child should achieve? However, I do believe the argument lies with the fact this achievement is to be done on the legislature’s schedule and not that of the child’s.

Why is it so difficult to celebrate the victories of achievement no matter how small? I was somewhat encouraged when I read a recent eSchool News bulletin:

The draft bill also would let states include students’ academic growth over time in their definition of AYP. To use such a “growth model,” states would need to have in place a longitudinal data system that can compare the progress of the same students from year to year.

I thought, “Finally, something that makes sense!”

I’ll never forget an article I read by Boaler (2003), When learning no longer matters: Standardized testing and the creation of inequality. (Citation given at the end of this post.) Boaler talks about Simon, a student she had interviewed for her work. Simon had made great gains in closing his learning gaps. His teachers had encouraged him and praised him for his performance. When his state test labeled him as below average, Simon felt all his efforts were for naught. He had reasoned his scores were a direct reflection of his hard work and acquired knowledge. Failure to meet the minimum competency level had negated all the learning and self-confidence Simon had gained.

What might have happened if the test had shown how much Simon had mastered, instead of labeling him as a failure? Will Simon continue to believe his teachers’ praise, or will he accept the label given to him by a testing agency?

David asks how teachers will sustain themselves when they are deskilled and forced to teach scripted curricula. I believe good teachers will follow “orders,” but they will do what all good teachers do. They will get to know each and every one of their students. They will know when that child is experiencing difficulty. They will take the extra time and effort to find a way to reach that child and celebrate each and every learning victory no matter how small. I believe this will be their sustenance, the joy of helping students to learn on their own schedule.

Boaler, J. (2003). When learning no longer matters: Standardized testing and the creation of Inequality. Phi Delta Kappan, 84(7), 502-506.

Good ideas can be contagious

This blog was originally posted to http://blognologist.com/blog on 9/3/07

I’ve been using blogs in Teaching Diverse Students, a required undergraduate class for primary education students. My main purpose was to give these students some experience with using blogs. Rather than taking a quiz over the readings, students are expected to post a response to a prompt; a question that not only requires reflection on the part of the student, but information must be drawn from the assigned readings. This tells me so much more about what a student thinks and knows than a multiple choice test.

Using technology with future teachers has some critical components. Not only is it necessary to teach them how to use the tool, literacy knowledge, it is also critical to show them some existing P-12 applications of that tool. Some of the more common uses of blogs involve: reflective journaling; an alternative to websites and discussion boards; and other strategies similar to mine.

I ran across Annette Lamb’s blog, ecollaboration. While it doesn’t appear to be an active blog, the idea is still contagious. Lamb posted some pictures that were used to stimulate and generate speculation, curiosity, and learning. Using interesting and unique photos accompanied by key questions is the perfect recipe for learning.

This is an activity that could easily be done outside the classroom. What a great way to encourage parent participation in the learning process with their child. Posted comments would let teachers know who was participating and how the project was being received. For those families without Internet access, the teacher might offer an evening when parents and their students could use the school’s facilities and equipment to participate. (Many school districts already do so.)

Students, or even students and their parents, could later generate their own photos with questions for the blog. This could be open or limited to a specific topic or theme.

It is so exciting when I see yet another great use for blogs, but keep in mind, my daughter says I’m easily amused.

It’s not just hot outside!

This was originally posted to http://blognologist.com/blog on 8/23/07

The heat index may be over 100 degrees today, but the blogosphere appears to be heating up as well. Last week David Warlick suggested that students might ask their professors what blogs they read (Another Question for Interviews).

This suggestion was not well received by Matthew Tabor in his post: Don’t Ask this Question, Part 1. Tabor argues that several of his professors, a Nobel Prize winner among them, were quite exceptional without using blogs as an instructional tool.

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing Warlick speak or read his work, online or in print, you know that his focus is on helping teachers provide students with a rich learning experience that will best enable them to become knowledgeable, productive 21st century students.

I agree with Warlick’s statement, “I’m not sure why people seem to assume that if one advocates one thing that it necessarily means the rejection of another.” Why does it seem that if an educator supports using blogs in education that she doesn’t value 20th century tools. Well, who says you have to throw the baby out with the bath water?

It has always been my mantra that using technology in the classroom is not a 24/7 mandate. The focus should be on the objective. What is it that the students should know and understand. Once that is established, an instructor can determine the best method(s) to accomplish that goal. Technology should be used when it can provide students with opportunities and experiences to best meet that goal.

Even Vicki Davis, one of the most tech-savvy educators in the blogosphere, still prefers a hard copy at times. Davis needs the process of highlighting, underlining, and commenting in the margins. Well aware of the possibilities with Tablet PCs, Davis still finds a need for paper.

I do strongly feel that professor of pre-service teachers must model why, how, and when to infuse technology into the curriculum. This is a part of their job description. How can we expect future teachers prepare knowledgeable productive 21st century citizens if they are unaware of the strengths and possibilities to enhance learning with technology? Sadly, most of them won’t learn those skills when they do their student teaching. There are not enough practicing teachers who posses those skills and knowledge. The best way to learn about using technology is when a student is learning how to teach. The two should be inseparable.

So, asking a professor what blogs he or she reads is merely asking if that professor is equipped to prepare teachers of 21st century students. Whether or not you find a value in edublogs, a professor still needs to be aware and informed of the resources that are available to teachers. This includes blogs.