Great post, Kevin. Thanks for reminding me about Wesley Fryer. It’s about time I payed his blog a visit and his podcasts a listen.

Who do I look for when I’m seeking guidance and inspiration? My students. Definitely. and also my fellow bloggers who plug at it each day, asking difficult questions and sharing their experiences.

Am I a Web 2.0 teacher? I don’t know about that. I feel I am a teacher because a teacher works with students to help them create products that reflect their knowledge and their growth. Regardless of the media in which they do this. I personally use Web 2.0 ’stuff’ because it is authentic to how my students live and learn…and because I think it’s way cool! But I also have them use other technologies – like book-making and tactile arts because they are pretty cool too and because they still play a role in their lives.

Like I wrote at the beginning of this lengthy comment – great post!

cheers,
tracy

Comment by Tracy 08.06.07

What I hear Tracy stating is that we need not abandon traditionally accepted creative tools in favor of all things “Webby.” If you will remember from my Giving Up the Ghost article, I stated that Web 2.0 is as much a creative philosophy as it is a collection of technologies. Tracy is absolutely correct. I mean, think about it. Some of humankind’s most stunning innovations reference at least one landmark iteration that came before them. Throughout our history on this planet, one style or school of thought has built upon another, sometimes leaving the former behind – sometimes incorporating it into something familiar,yet altogether new. We have only to look at the Renaissance to find an example of this. The very word means “new birth,” and the period itself is wrought with artists, sculptors, and architects responsible for some of the world’s most famous creations who accomplished greatness by looking at the Classical past. From a technological perspective we can ask ourselves: How many wooden plows were made and refined before John Deere crafted the world’s first successful steel version?

How many of us have been in a school for more than a couple of years and have had to experience a new “flavor of the month” teaching methodology or system of tools for each of those years? I would urge us to remember Tracy’s point as we embrace the Web 2.0 philosophy. Move forward with blogs, wikis, podcasting, and screencasting with reckless abandon, but do take a moment to pull out a few trusty non-Webby tools should they prove useful in supplementing some of your ‘wired’ activities.

Closing Thoughts…

What do you think? Is there value in looking back to past teaching styles or methods? In what ways can you think to integrate classic or traditional creative practices with Web 2.0 technology? As you ponder your answer, take a look at Tracy’s Understanding the Machine post, which relays how she used a combination of traditional and Web 2.0 teaching methods to reach students no one else thought were reachable! Great work, Tracy. And thanks again for your comment.

Technorati Tags: web 2.0, applied arts, fine arts, creativity

At a time when I am about to embark upon my first year of teaching with Web 2.0 technology, I really value these posts and podcasts. I value them because I am learning as much from their content as I am in the way Mr. Fryer delivers them. As a lifelong learner, I am doing my best to take down salient points, ideas, lessons, and techniques that I feel will result in my becoming a better teacher. This recent series of posts by Mr. Fryer surely fits the bill.

In his August 6, 2007 podcast entitled: Strive to Engage Not Enthrall, Fryer does a great job of juxtaposing the standard ‘old school’ teaching methodology with one that follows Web 2.0’s collaborative and participatory style. Listen to his “voice of the old school teacher” as it speaks “at” students telling them exactly how they are supposed to behave and to what degree they will be controlled. Sound familiar? I am sad to say that I have been guilty of teaching in this manner. Yes, I may have tried to be a bit more entertaining and to deliver my words with a bit more finesse. But to quote Led Zeppelin…for those of us who fail to see a need to change within ourselves… The Song Remains the Same. As Fryer puts it, we have to stop trying to “capture” or “enslave” our students for their prescribed “stint” in our class (you know, before their mad dash for the door begins…leaving scraps of paper and a cloud of dust whirling in a small but well defined pathway to sweet, sweet freedom?). Rather, we must encourage them to become active participants in the learning experience and to want to take ownership of that experience by tying it to things that are unique and meaningful to them.

Mr. Fryer ends his podcast by challenging us all to transform our teaching style from one that is captivating to one that encourages them to investigate their passions and aspire to creative participation. His words say it best:

Fryer: “Invite students to collaborate with each other to create authentic knowledge products which reflect their true understanding, perceptions, and mastery of the subject being studied. Devise assessments, and have students help devise assessments for themselves, which cannot be “faked.” A worksheet or a study guide will not suffice. Invite students to conduct interviews and put together a short video documentary. Invite students to create an animation which illustrates a concept visually as well as auditorially. Invite students to collaboratively create and author a wiki-based document with other students in a classroom across the continent or across the world, about a topic in which they are interested and want to explore further. Not sure what a wiki-document is? Ask and find out! Invite your students to help!”

The challenge to modify one’s teaching style is massive, and it is often coupled with the fear of failure spurred on by our mandate to meet the aims of our curriculum and/or high stakes testing. As I head into the beginning of the school year, there are most definitely times when my thoughts range from impassioned excitability and eagernesses to the fear that my efforts may be met with administrative friction or that I won’t be able to get my Moodle class and blog/podcasting efforts past the “rumbling, stumbling, bumbling” stage. In these moments, I turn to my network of fellow Web 2.0 teachers, and I seek out the wise advice of people like Wes Fryer who speak from the standpoint of having been there.

What hopes and fears do you have as a Web 2.0 teacher? Where or to whom do you look for guidance and inspiration? Drop a line and let me know.

Technorati Tags: collaborative teaching, web 2.0, engage

Failing to See the Forest for the Trees…

Dvorak sees Web 2.0 as a collection of technological passing fancies doomed to relive the same mundane if not altogether forgetful fate as CD-ROMs, pad-based computing, the IBM clone wars, and of course, every company and entrepreneur who went bust or closed entire divisions trying to wage the brick and mortar vs. e-commerce battle. He positions social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, and yes… even Second Life, along with their participants, as being “totally out of control” and sure contributors to the downfall of Web 2.0. YouTube and their ilk are referenced as money sucking ventures (assume he’s referencing investors here?) doomed to fail, and user-generated content (like this blog) is painted as being forgettable at best. “Ouch John, that stings!”

Next up in his banal little rant is the idea that all things mobile, especially the iPhone, signify …well….something bad (he never really says), and that ad-based searching is just simply mundane – especially as most search engines fall by the wayside anyway.

Finally, he ends with a brief mention of widgets and toolbars, for which he doesn’t hold any particular contempt. No, he just feels that they would function better if only those pesky operating systems and browsers would get their acts together and stabilize. Yes my friends, Mr. Dvorak, a man who has been writing about the technology world since the 1980s, used approximately 700 words to tell us exactly how much he doesn’t get about Web 2.0.

To whittle Web 2.0 down to a collection of frivolous technologies belies a complete inability to see its possibilities in education. Students in Florida can create content on blogs and share audio and video podcasts with classrooms all around the world! The idea of course is that the many collaborative and social networking tools we as educators have come to see as essential are only valued because they allow us to excite, enliven, and motivate our students. It’s very curious to me that Mr. Dvorak doesn’t see this. Perhaps his lack of insight into the educational uses and benefits Web 2.0 technologies bring about, despite his informed position as a technology columnist, is really just a sign that ours is a message in need of a louder voice.

Technorati Tags: dvorak, web_2.0

Top Educational Blog Sites for August 2007

Classroom 2.0: Get here and join…. now! This is the social networking site for those interested in using computer technology (especially Web 2.0) in the classroom. This was the first online teaching community I joined, and I firmly believe it to be one of the most comfortable and effective networking sites for those to to this subject. How often have you felt alone in your struggles to improve education through technology and innovative teaching practices? Well, stop it! Get over to the Classroom 2.0 site now and join. When you get there, add me as a friend so that we can start planning that joint classroom blogging or podcast project!

Education/Technology: Tim Lauer is the principal at Lewis Elementary School in Portland, Oregon. I enjoy his site because I can see what he and those in his circle are doing with technology and reflect on ways I can incorporate similar practices into my classroom.

Teaching Generation Z: Graham Wegner, author of this blog, is an Australian educator who uses Web 2.0 technologies to teach technology leadership. This blog never fails to provide updates on breaking news in our field. I have really come to value this blog. Graham provides consistent insight into what it means to ‘look over the shoulder’ of teachers who are well-versed and expert in using collaborative technology to instruct and excite their students.

Durff’s Blog: Lisa Durff is an avid podcaster and webcaster. I first met her through Classroom 2.0, and it is through her that I first became aware of the Webcast Academy project – a hands on, collaborative training center for anyone interested in learning about how to create and produce webcasts. Lisa is also an active member of the EdTechTalk information portal, and her blog is definitely one to watch.

Kevin Honeycutt’s ESSDACK Site Central: Kevin Honeycutt is perhaps one of the most energized people I have come across in the Web 2.0 education world. His Driving Questions in Education video podcasts never fail to get my mind going, and I look forward to listening to them regularly. Very good stuff.

Speed of Creativity: Wes Fryer offers up thought provoking and meaningful topics for discussion that really give you something to mull over. Do your self a favor, get over to his site and subscribe to the article and podcast feeds. You won’t be sorry.

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Vicki Davis is a very well-established educator, blog author, and webcast talk show host. She is a founding member of Women of Web 2.0 and a contributor to the Tech Learning blog. Please be sure to subscribe to the Cool Cat Teacher feed to learn more about creating improved student performance and excitement through the use of such cutting edge tools as blogs, wikis, podcasts, digital storytelling (video making), and other Web 2.0 tools.

Thoughts from a Technospud: Author Jennifer Wagner works with Pre K through 6th grade teachers – providing ways for them to effectively use technology in the classroom. Her tips for teachers and stories of what it is like to be the go to educational technology resource contact are fantastic. Along with Lisa Durff, Jennifer is also an active member of the EdTechTalk information portal.

Jason Hando’s Clever Learning Blog: Jason is a head teacher in the technology faculty at an independent school in Sydney, Australia. His blog provides a collection of thoughts, resources, and ramblings on the topic of clever learning from the perspective of students, teachers, administrators, and parents.

TipLine – Gates’ Computer Tips: Last but most certainly not least we have Mr. Jim Gates’ TipLine Computer Tips blog. I met Jim through a Moodle class I took through GlobalClassrooms, and he never fails to provide insights into issues I find perplexing. His jovial demeanor, caring spirit, and knowledge regarding the use of Web 2.0 technology in the classroom are unmatched in the field.

Boone Middle is a great school. I say this because I see it for what it could be. In some ways, we’re a typical Florida Title I Middle School, with all of the AYP ’sub groups’ one might expect: Limited English Speakers, ESE students, minorities (who are truly a majority at Boone) Latino, African American, Haitian Creole, etc. A large percentage of our students are on free or reduced lunch, which is a statistic used to ‘indicate’ that we are situated within a relatively impoverished economic strata. But in my heart and in my mind, we are and can be so very much more…

I started my teaching career at Boone Middle, after having spent several years in Chicago and then back down here in Orlando as a business writer. Teaching’s in my family. Three of the four sisters in my Mom’s family were teachers, and my Dad taught in North Carolina for a while after retiring from the Army and his ‘after career’ as an employment screening professional. So I guess you might say I get it honest. In truth, I started teaching at Boone because I needed a job (corporate layoffs…marketing is always the first to get the axe!!!). But I am still at Boone Middle because I believe in this job – the feeling I get when a student has an ‘ah ha!’ moment – or figures out a two-step equation on her own for the first time.

I get special pleasure from my Technology Student Association club members, who routinely do very well in State and National Competitions despite their supposed “lower economic status.” It’s these TSA students who showed me the way to a brighter future at Boone. If what I’m doing now using ‘old school’ books/paper, our wood shop, and the occasional software program can get ten students a year involved in a technology-based after school club geared toward competition with other schools in our state and throughout the nation, then surely I can find ways to reach more of my kids. But how? How can I get the bulk of my students interested enough in electronics, biotechnology, structural engineering, etc. so that they will be willing to say no to their iPods and game systems and yes to furthering their academic and career possibilities during class and after school club days?

The answer: Look to how other schools have successfully adopted collaborative learning through technology using the very tools my kids already know how to use and in fact, can’t live without!

We need to get something going at Boone similar to what took place at Stovner in Oslo. My friend and mentor Jim Gates has informed me that it may take countless ‘demos’ of Moodle, Wiki, various student blogs and projects, etc. in front of oh, say, my Principal, our Network Specialist (gotta stop the incessant site filtering!) and then on up to our School Board folks, for approval. Not to mention one heck of a grass roots effort among our staff on the part of myself and a few fellow rebels. Based on what I’m reading from folks like Graham Wegner, Dean Shareski (really love his digital storytelling articles!), and Wesley Fryer, even though there may not be a ton of early adopters – the possibilities and chances for real learning that come with trying are so very cool! Who knows? Between Skype and Splashcast, maybe Oslo, Norway will turn out to be just around the corner after all…