Updated July 8th, 2009 with thoughts and fixes. My thoughts are in blue.
Here Comes Learning!
Will Richardson and Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach
Session description: In a world of learning networks and communities, how do we help our students move from simple sharing to collective action in the world.
Thanks to istevision.org, a recording of this session is available online.
We are going to be looking at how learning in changing in the landscape of web 2.0 tools.
What does learning look like now.?
Changes in student learning requires teachers to change they way they approach their own learning. I think this is often a difficult task. It require a teacher that really sees part of their job as being a learner. Not always easy when your model for teaching is the sage on the stage. As cliche as it is, education is starved for true life long learners.
The session was connection to Linden(?) NJ, through some type of Polycom device. I missed the explanation of this part of the session.
They started of by showing “help with bowdrill set” by YouTube user bushkrafft as an introduction. Here is the video:
- asking people to post on Youtube to tell him what he is doing wrong.
- powerful video – kids asking about things he is interested in. curiosity is showing its face
- lack of structured classroom. great example of self-directed learning
- audience discussed and presented thoughts
- he wanted feedback
- don’t know if there was parent feedback
- maybe there is no one in is physical environment that knows how to fix it
- he seems comfortable with the process of posting on youtube.
- don’t see face, don’t know where he is,
- there is an expectation in his voice that is “is” going to be solved
- encouraging feedback from youtube
- how did he know he was going to get a response?
- things in the online environment can change the way we connect
Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach:
- talked about personal experience of using the wisdom of crowds
- mentioned the teachers sometimes have a hard time showing that they “don’t know everything” and find it hard to step out of the role of knowledge pusher
- got into knowledge mentoring
- the community is where professional development should be taking place
- I have heard this many times so far at NECC…”it isn’t about the tools. it is about what you do with them”
- have teacher come out of the 4 walls of their classroom, and interact and grow with the community.
- “My greatest insight as a fellow is recogntition of the urgency for change in the way we teach today’s students” – quote from a teacher that worked with SNB
- this is always how I feel after a conference such as NECC or ACTEM or most PD opportunities. It is our challenge to bring that urgency to our collegues.
Richardson:
- mentions Clay Shirky’s Here come everybody.
- techtonic shift – ease of creating groups around issues has forever changed our cultural landscape
- with this makes it more complex to understand truth
- defines the need for 21st century literacy
- collective action is the holy grail of these connective apps
- we have the ability to access so much raw data that wasn’t possible just a few years ago
- richardson showed a tweet about him hating orbitz
- obritz called them about it
- now have the ability to force the hand of companies due to the connectivity we have and the ease of publishing
- I liked this example as it shows true democracy in action.
Kids are using technology using for social reasons. Connecting in friendship based ways.
Starting to connect in interest-based ways
- connecting with strangers
- this is a good thing because accessing millions of potential teachers
Education should be interest based. Focus on strengths. Change form classroom structure to community structure. Teacher as co-learner.
Best practice in 21st century Skills
- talks about the partnership
- all focus on community
National Staff Development Forum
- must check them out for model of PD
Define community
- in short, a group that over time is focused on improvement and do so together
Sharing communities of practice need to be designed in such a way that they evolve over time.
- helps buy in with people if they have a stake in the process and feel like they have a say in their own learning
- What develops is co-created and collaborative with multiple opportunities for member feedback and ownership.
Mentioned a tweet from Scott Mcleods sessions:
- “The real revolution here isn’t online learning, it is personalized learning.”
