Wow, I don’t know where to start with this one. I attended and presented at the North Carolina Association for Educational Communications & Technology (NCaect) Conference held a couple weeks ago in Concord, NC. Shift Happens: Gear Up With Technology, the theme for the conference was just that. Shift is happening and during this conference I certainly got geared up with technology as did others.
I have been exploring and/or participating with sites such as Skype, Twitter, EdTechTalk, and Ustream for the past year or so. I’ve used these sites mainly to create a professional learning network for myself and to make connections all over the world. What took place at the conference made me see the entire potential of these tools for networking, collaboration and authentic learning. A friend of mine who is on the NCaect board this year asked if I would be willing to Ustream the sessions I attended. I had tried to stream a conference session I conducted a couple months earlier. However, I wasn’t very successful. So, I thought this would be a great learning experience for me. What the heck, step outside the box girl and go for it.
Well, I am glad I did and it was an awesome experience! There were four of us streaming sessions we were attending. Using Skype, we tried to keep up with each other and who was attending which sessions so as to get as many as we could streamed. We used Twitter to alert those in cyberspace about which sessions we were streaming and providing direct links to the streaming channel. It was the activity in the Ustream chat room that was most interesting and authentic. There were people from Canada, Australia, and all over the United States viewing the sessions being streamed live and collaborating with each other on the topic being discussed. As I streamed my sessions and monitored the chat taking place, I was able to answer questions as well as disperse information from the participants in the chatroom to the presenter when needed. One session I streamed was David Warlick’s Personal Learning Network session. David also sent out a twitter message about his session and the link for the stream. Those that could, joined the chat. I’d say we had about 25 to 35 people to join us from all over. In another session David Warlick facilitated, he used Skype to connect with people who could share their expertise as well as being able to participate in the session along with those in the room. What a way to connect with others who bring multiple perspectives and share similar interests!
And, the beauty of a streaming site such as Ustream is that those streams are archived for later retrieval. So, those who couldn’t attend the conference or the live stream can always view the stream at their own convenience. I think these tools can have a huge impact on education. What better way to connect with others and share ideas or content in real time. And the best thing of all, these tools are free. The 21st century is about connecting, communicating, collaborating and creating content. This was evident in the sessions I attended at the conference.
A couple weeks ago I attended and presented at the North Carolina Educational Technicians (NCET) Conference held in Greenville, NC. The presentation was entitled, “Who’s in Your Circle? Collaboration in the 21st Century -Taking Web 2.0 to School” There were about 50 participants in the session, mostly technicians or those working in the technology department. I created a wiki to present and demonstrate information on the Web 2.0 tools that teachers are using or wish to use in their classrooms.
The conversation that took place during this training was extremely valuable to me as a facilitator and one who trains teachers on the integration of technology. Many times I hear from teachers how hard it is to integrate technology when the tools they want to use are not accessible to them because of filtering constraints. I’ve often told teachers to continue advocating for those tools and to find ways to demonstrate their need in addressing 21st century skills. On the other end, I know those in charge of filtering are required by law to do so and many times do not have classroom experience or knowledge in the use of the many tools that are out there. There is a communication gap here.
We all know technology is moving at the speed of light these days and new tools are developed daily, and if used appropriately can allow students the opportunity to develop the 21st century skills they will need to successfully live and compete globally in a digital world. These new tools allow for connections, communication, and collaboration with others.
Those present in the session expressed appreciation for being shown these tools and how they could be used in the classroom as well as having a location (the wiki) to go back and explore further or even to be able to use to share with those back in their districts. Many said the session helped them in understanding things teachers need as well as offering ways to make many of the tools available. This will give them more ability to convince administrators and teachers the importance of exploring these tools personally and professionally.
What I took away from this session as a facilitator was the need for more communication of technology needs versus teacher needs. One participant stated that he will go back and start a dialogue with his department on how to make tools safely available to teachers and students. One referred to it as much needed “bedside manners”. I’ve always said the technician is your friend. Invite him or her to your classroom. Make them a part of your team. Communicate your needs in a non-threatening way. Say “Thank you.” After all, we are all in this together for the students.
The merits of multiple perspectives in the classroom » Moving at the Speed of Creativity Annotated
I highlighted this entry from Wesley Fryer’s blog post today. For me it addresses the change that educators must make to prepare our students to live productively and in harmony in a global world. I think most of us know the “here are the facts” way of teaching is remembered for only a short while. How may of us remember the names of all 50 states and their capitals or the history of world wars and their purpose or outcome? Maybe, had the unit of study started with an essential question that addressed a real issue I might remember more of what I studied.
So, how to we get educators to change?
If you read my post on Yugma, you read about another free web based resource for professional as well as personal use. This resource is called Skype. I am an avid user of this resource. It allows me to contact those in my contact list immediately through my computer. I spend many hours each day online. When I want to collaborate on an idea, I look for people available to call. I then send a chat message to see if they are available to talk. If so, I call them (if only 1) or start a conference call (if more that one). This brings me to the feature I like most, the ability to make a conference call with up to 10 people. I have used this feature many times. My peers and I have collaborated on upcoming presentations, planned family events, demonstrated Skype as well as other online tools, and connected students with others on various projects. You can also purchase Skype credit to allow calls to landlines or mobile phones. This is a great resource! Check it out!
Have you heard about Yugma? It’s a free website that allows collaboration with others through virtual presentations. With Yugma you can give a tutorial remotely as well as provide tech support when you need it by sharing your desktop with others. I first saw this in action when a friend of mine was giving a tutorial on Audacity. She started a conference call in Skype and began a session in Yugma. A link was sent so that we could join in. What a great way to be able to share something from your computer with others! I call that learning when you need it, where you need it.
If you’ve not heard about Twitter, you need to check it out. It’s a good way to create a network of friends, family or those who share similar interests. I was introduced to Twitter by a friend of mine a few months ago. I started “tweeting” shortly after. I’m following about 50 people, some I know through online interactions and some I know personally. We all have one thing in common, we’re involved in education.
As my tweet friends learn something new they post a short entry on Twitter. I immediately receive this information in my Twitter box. I do the same in return. What a great way to share your learning with others.
I’ve been very busy lately listening in on sessions at the K12 Online Conference, participating in Webcast Academy and preparing for a pre-conference session on Web 2.0 to be held in Greensboro, NC the week after Thanksgiving. I have found many, many great uses for Web 2.0 tools for educators and most of these tools are free. The tools I will be using with participants include: blogs, wikis, google docs, Skype, Yugma, social bookmarking sites and others. I will be using a wiki to conduct my training and a blog for participant reflection. I created a spreadsheet on google docs that particpants will be editing and I have a couple of teachers around the country that will be skyping in during the session to share ways they use these same tools in their schools and districts. I’m excited about this conference session because participants will get hands on experience with these tools. My goal is that they find at least one to integrate into their classroom.
An Educator's Travels 