Drape's Takes

The conversation went something like this:

“It’s storming pretty hard in Salt Lake. Power’s out, rain is falling sideways.”

“How do you know,” asks my wife as she brushes her teeth, getting ready to call it a day.

“Well, you know Twitter? One of the guys I follow on Twitter just posted about how he’s stuck in his car on the side of the freeway.” I pause. “I guess ‘follow’ isn’t really the right word”.

She looks at me as if I’m not the same person she married. “It's 10 o'clock at night, you know what he’s doing. You’re following him.”

Even I know that Twitter’s weird. That’s why I don’t expect everyone to understand it. I certainly don’t expect everybody to use it and am kind of glad that many people don’t. Can you imagine a person in prison using Twitter? (Tweet 1: Staring at wall. Tweet 2: Staring at wall, still.) Nevertheless, when my own wife accuses me of being a stalker (speaking of prison), I start to question what I’m really doing.

So I’ll ask the question again, this time with a better idea of my answer.

What in the Web 2.0 is Twitter?

Because if Twitter is nothing more than a huge stalk-fest, then I think I’ll pass. Five hundred sixteen “tweets” later however, I’m convinced that it’s nothing of the sort.

I'm convinced that Twitter is about community. Twitter is about people. Twitter is about the network. Here's an example of what I mean:

So Twitter's ability to connect me with a network of like-minded people is huge. However, there's more to it than just the network. Take "the news" as another example. I’ve noticed a strange thing happen to "the news" as I have used Twitter. With Twitter, the news has added meaning for me. Like when I learned about the steam explosion that happened in New York a few weeks ago. It brought the news home to me knowing that one of my colleagues was so close to the actual event.


To continue, remember the rain storm I referred to in the beginning of this post? I could have watched the news (like normal people) to see that a storm was making its way across the Wasatch Front. I would have learned the facts and been able to prepare for the inevitable. However, seeing that Thom (a person whose Twitter tweets I follow) was stuck in the storm, sitting in his car on the side of the freeway because of the storm, I immediately understood what kind of storm I would probably be dealing with.


Furthermore, because I “know” Thom (through his tweets), I now have an emotional tie to the news that I once only watched.

“So that's Twitter, honey. Weird? Yes. But that's just the way I like it.”

Technorati Tags: twitter conversation communication

The folks at TTIX (Teaching with Technology Idea Exchange) inform me that the video from this year's conference has been posted here. I had the honor and privilege of giving the keynote address in June, a first for me. In reflecting further on the experience, I am reminded that I had intended to say many more things than I had actually managed to say. I'm sure many teachers have also experienced this in their classrooms.

Reason #8 - Blogging allows you to finish what you had originally intended to say.

Let me say up front that I had originally wanted to go a lot faster than I actually went. Nevertheless, the flow was smooth and I still felt that I had the audience from the beginning. It really was a refreshing experience.

But I missed the sale, the close, the final touches. I got to slide 307 (or so) of 405 (I had to take out the poem above in order to upload the presentation to SlideShare). Yep, only 3/4 through. If I had to do it over again, I'd make sure to mention:

• The results of my informal assessment of cellphone use throughout Utah - roughly 85% of all urban and rural high school students in Utah have access to a cellphone.
• Ithaca College and their Cellflix Film Festival - what an amazing way to use cellphones to teach.
• Ms. Bradfield and her class's travel bugs - one has traveled nearly 19,000 miles. Imagine the conversations.
• Matthew Horne and the amazing things he's done with his ESL students - I'm sure that blogging and postcasting are just the beginning.
• Kevin Honeycutt and one of my favorite quotes regarding teachers and our relationship to our students: "We've got to be willing to play where they play... even if we don't feel comfortable."
• Darren Kuropatwa and the great way he uses Flickr with his math students.
• One of the most powerful comments I have heard about the Pay Attention video. This was given by a student:

“This is a great video. As a tenth grader, almost everything in the video applies to me – I have a phone (which really doubles as a GPS), I have an MP3 player, I have a computer. The lack of application of technology in many schools is appaling.”

--michaelper22

• Finally, I would have told the audience about my cheesy poem - created specifically to close the presentation:
  

If I were you, what would I do?
I’d use YouTube, del.icio.us, and Flickr, too.
To teach my students about somethidng new.

If I were you, what would I do?
I’d use Google Tools – indeed the whole slew.
Google Earth, Docs, and Trends to name just a few.
Yep, teach kids to learn, even when the day’s through.

If I were you, what would I do?
I’d make my kids podcast, ‘til their faces were blue.
And then we would post them to the new iTunes U.

If I were you, what would I do?
I’d share with the world, yep honest and true.
Yeah, I’d be much more open and creative and common.
And when I was done, I would eat some Top Ramen.

If I were you, what would I do?
I’d pay more attention to what the kids do.
I’d learn how they learn in order to teach
Them things they should know without haffin’ to preach.

Anyway, that's what I would have said if I would have had the time. And that's why I'm glad that I blog.

Technorati Tags: ttix07 payattention whyblog education technology

Thank you, Teacher.

Thank you for the many things you have taught me. Thank you for your guidance and words of wisdom concerning teaching, learning, technology, and education. Thank you for your insights, as the views you've shared from your corner of the world have shaped how I see mine. Whether you've known it or not, you've helped me to understand better what it means to live in our rapidly flattening world. You've taught me that we're all in this together.

So I thank you.

As I've learned (and am learning) about what it means to communicate in this world we call cyberspace, I am increasingly cognizant of the different ways that bloggers converse. These are three observations I have made:

• First, some bloggers don't communicate with others (or they save their communication for the worthy few). Their conversations are a one-way street, flowing directly from brains to their fingertips, to the words that make up their blogs.
  
• Second, some bloggers visit the blogs of others, commenting and participating in the discussions of others. These bloggers seem to both give and take.
  
• Finally, there is a conversation that takes place among bloggers simply through an elaborate dance of cross-linking. This type of conversation is very interesting to me as it seems to provide genuine communication, both direct and indirect.

As I consider YOU to be my teacher (in one form or another), I'm genuinely interested in why you do what you do. What makes you write what you write, for some or for none or for many to read? Yep, why do you expose your thoughts to criticism, to ridicule, and to praise?

In short, why do YOU blog and what have you learned by participating in this worldwide community?

Please take the time to answer my inquiry (either directly or indirectly) in a post on your blog or in a comment on mine. I'll be watching and waiting, waiting and watching, and will post the results of this quest in a few weeks time.

Thank you, again, for being my teacher and participating in the conversation.

P.S. If I have failed to link to you above, it doesn't mean that I'm not interested in your opinion yet. It most likely means that I simply don't know I'm interested in your opinion yet - please participate, giving me a chance to get to know you better.

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Technorati Tags: blogosphere communication conversation

I must admit: it's better to be busy than bored. The last couple of days have certainly been eventful. Here's a quick recap, not for the purpose of boring you with the details of my pathetic life, but to show you the possibilities that are available to teachers everywhere in a connected, digital world.

• I gave a presentation yesterday [Utah, USA] in my Theoretical Perspectives on Whiteness Theory graduate class. The presentation discussed Pamela Perry's ethnography entitled Shades of White. I decided to use a blog to allow my classmates to reflect on their own identities, the professor was impressed, then asked me to teach the class how to blog. I guess if you're going to take a class, you'd might as well teach it - at least then you can talk about things that you're interested in. More about the blog: I had the students post to the blog via email ("Mail-to-Blogger-Address") so each of the posts appears to have come from me - a small price for the quick, less than ten minute setup time.
  

• As a result of yesterday's class, I taught my fellow cohort members [Utah, USA] how to blog today. I also gave them a quick rundown of Gmail and Google Docs. I may have left a few rocks in the dust (sorry, David Jakes [Illinois, USA]), but I think several class members will actually continue to blog.
• For my other doctoral studies [Utah, USA], I was able to read 14 articles, skim one book, write two papers, finish one reference sheet (including citations), and begin my final paper - all in two days (phew).
  
• I was able to communicate more about EduBloggerWorld with Julie Lindsay [Sydney, Australia], Steve Hargadon [California, USA], and Vicki Davis [Georgia, USA]. Through email we were able to solidify several key ideas about the nature and purpose of EduBloggerWorld [Earth]. Details are forthcoming.
• I was able to "attend" a portion of a book chat in Second Life [Blogger's Cafe, SL, Virtual Earth] about the popular book Cult of the Amateur. The discussion was extremely thought-provoking, as Ryan "Ex" Bretag [Illinois, USA] was very well prepared with several cutting questions.
• As Second Life was giving me a few Linux [Geekdom, Planet Ubuntu] fits, I dropped in on the WOW2 discussion on Internet safety. It was great to be a part of the discussion and I was glad to not be the only male present. Jason Hando [Sydney, Australia] also joined in on the cat-blog-referencing fun.
• I received two, count 'em, two kudos on Twitter yesterday: one from mobileminded - congratulating me on my recent blog posts (hopefully this post won't disappoint) and the other from jmaklary kudo-ing me for being willing to promulgate the ed-tech gospel. By the way, mobileminded is Brian C. Smith [New York, USA] and jmaklary is John Maklary [Texas, It's Own Country, USA].
• I stumbled upon the coolest blog I've ever seen: All About Abby. With Karl Fisch [Colorado, USA], I invite you to welcome aboard an exciting new blogger [Colorado, USA]. While there, be sure to check out the dozens of comments she is deservedly receiving. Very cool stuff.
  
• Finally (and on a personal note), the highlight of it all was when I was able to Skype video-chat with my family, causing my youngest kids to cry. You would have cried too, if you had seen the video quality.

I told you it's been busy around here.

Technorati Tags: education blogosphere technology

I recently gave two presentations for a graduate class I am taking: Diffusion of Innovations. During the first presentation, I discussed creativity and my theory about how we are on the verge of a creative tipping point. Spurred by an increase in the use of Creative Commons licensing and other recent innovations, I think that YouTube's 65,000 uploads per day are just the beginning.

In the second presentation, I discussed the blog as an innovation that has been quickly diffused throughout our world.


Technorati Tags: blogosphere tippingpoint youtube

David Warlick led a session during EduBloggerCon 2007 that was extremely enlightening and by now, landmark. As a result of the enthusiasm felt in that session and subsequent relationships that were formed following that initial introduction, I have been reflecting further on the read/write web and its implications for the future of education.

To begin Mr. Warlick’s session he asked a simple question: “What is working?” Answers varied from brief one-word answers to elaborate descriptions of effective practice. I took fairly comprehensive notes during the session that I have yet to publish. As the content was very thought-provoking, I felt that it would be helpful for all to benefit from the discussion we had. My notes follow.

What is working:

• Wikis – An example of this is the EduBloggerCon wiki. This entire event was planned thereon.
• Online collaboration – School systems are getting together and sharing resources. –Diane Hammond
• Because of new Web 2.0 tools, students and teachers are progressing toward a new learning environment –David Jakes
• Students can show competence.
• Digital cameras, interactive whiteboards – Teachers are starting to engage.
• “The digital camera is the gateway drug [of educational technology].” –Mark Wagner
• “What should the classroom of today look like?” –Steve Dembo
• The classroom of today is a tandem classroom, paired with another classroom of another culture. –Hence the need for increased community (like EduBloggerWorld).
  
• “It’s all about connections.” –Vicki Davis
• “Start where you’re comfortable.” –Vicki Davis
• “I have some students that - what goes on in schools stays in schools.”
• “Now that we have all of this data on our students, what is there in the long tail for education?” –Doug Johnson
• “The school of the future doesn’t concentrate on tools – because the tools are constantly changing. The school of the future concentrates on the learning.” –Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach
• “Kids need to know how to choose which tool – because there are so many…” –Scott Merrick
• “Smart classrooms have to be more than just the hardware – it’s a philosophical change about what happens with the tools in the classroom.” –Jeff Utecht
• “We’re at the very beginning of a huge shift.”
• “The smart classroom is the classroom that becomes a conduit for connections.
• “In the smart classroom, the technology’s not integrated, it’s integral.” –David Jakes
• “Social networking is going to be an integral part of the school of the future.” –David Warlick
• Should it be called “Student Networking” instead of “Social Networking”? –Vicki Davis

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Technorati Tags: ebc07fs edubloggercon07 edubloggerworld technology education

Exciting things are happening out there. Very exciting things.

Those of you that attended this year's EduBloggerCon "un-conference" in June remember that it was an amazing way to begin this year's NECC. Because not all bloggers were able to attend EduBloggerCon, we have created EduBloggerWorld - a Ning social network designed to facilitate connections and community for educational bloggers worldwide, serving as a first step toward future virtual events similar to EduBloggerCon.

Less than a week old, EdubloggerWorld is growing rather quickly (over 100 members in less than 5 days - with no formal advertising). Comparatively, there are more EduBloggerWorld members now (115) than there were attendees of EduBloggerCon (104) in Atlanta. Interestingly, communities within the community have also sprung up - with the creation of several groups including a Spanish bloggers group that has written several posts to the community in Spanish.

On behalf of Steve Hargadon, Julie Lindsay, and Vicki Davis, I write inviting you to join us (http://www.edubloggerworld.com/). We think this is an important step in embracing the international culture of a flattening world and an excellent way to pay attention to the world around us.

Technorati Tags: edubloggercon07 edubloggerworld international

The Innovate journal of online education is accepting article submissions for an upcoming special issue. This special issue will focus on trends, pressures, and evolutions shaping the future of education in all its forms, with particular consideration of the role of information technologies in creating that future.


Whatever the future holds for education, it is clear that information technologies will play a role. The creative use of information technology can enhance education processes, enabling educators to meet new challenges and reshape education's role in society. The technologies of education, and the use of technology in education, are both drivers of change and indicators of future directions.

According to James Morrison (Innovate Editor-In-Chief), submissions for this special issue may address, but are not limited to, these key issues:

1. What does the "rise of the amateur" in media, music, and news industries suggest for education providers of the future?
2. What is the role of universities and colleges when the world's information is at the fingertips of learners, without the mediation of experts? Or when experts make those resources freely available through MIT's OpenCourseWare or Open University’s OpenLearn?
3. Is a copyright system designed to protect physical objects—books, magazines, and journals—capable of serving the digital knowledge needs of the next generation?
4. How can technological tools be used by developed countries to assist emerging countries in educating their people?
5. How should governance and leadership be structured in educational institutions facing exponential change?
6. Are existing research agendas and methodologies capable of answering the knowledge needs of the next generation?
7. Do our existing theories of learning reflect how digital natives learn in the information age?

If you would like to submit a manuscript on this topic, please send it to the guest editor of this issue, George Siemans (gsiemens@elearnspace.org) and to James Morrison (jlm@nova.edu) no later than October 15, 2007.

Quick Editorial Comment - It seems to me that people interested in getting together to discuss The Cult of the Amateur should put their discussion to use. In my humble opinion, they should employ Google Docs (or create a page on the wiki) to write a joint paper that addresses the issues of topic 1 (above). You know, put this brain power toward an addition to the literature (Innovate is as close to an online peer-reviewed journal as you're going to get). It would truly be refreshing to see more bloggers contribute to the bulk of scholarly literature.

Image Source - 1 (Thanks, Wes)

Technorati Tags: journal education technology

A change agent, or agent of change, is someone who intentionally or indirectly causes or accelerates social, cultural, or behavioral change. Everett Rogers (2003) expounds on this definition with several key points (p. 27). He also identifies “seven roles for the change agent in the process of introducing an innovation in a client system” (p. 369). In the brief analysis that follows, I will identify and reflect upon my role as a change agent (in connection with my position as a Technology Curriculum Specialist), using the roles Rogers’ has identified as a guide.

1. A change agent often initially helps clients become aware of the need to alter their behavior. Probably the most difficult aspect of my job, I am constantly implementing new techniques to help teachers understand the many benefits of implementing technology throughout their teaching. In fact, this is the very reason I created the Pay Attention motivational presentation.
2. Once a need for change is created, a change agent must develop rapport with his or her clients. I have found that it is not until a teacher trusts me that I am able to help them use technology. While humor can be a good door opener, I’ve found the most success in gaining “client” confidence by showing teachers that technology is not meant to replace the many great things that they are currently doing with their students. Rather, technology works best as an enhancement to lessons and activities that have already proven to be effective.
3. The change agent is responsible for analyzing clients’ problems in order to determine why existing alternatives do not meet their needs. In identifying the problems that teachers have in delivering engaging instruction (poor student retention, boredom, etc.), I am able to suggest alternative instructional methods that incorporate technology in exciting and effective ways.
4. The change agent seeks to motivate their clients’ interests in the innovation. I provide such motivation in the form of follow-up. It has been my experience that professional development without follow-up is a futile effort.
5. A change agent seeks to influence clients’ behavior change in accordance with recommendations based on the clients’ needs. Please see number two above.
6. Change agents may effectively stabilize new behavior through reinforcing messages to clients who have adopted, thus helping to “freeze” the new behavior. Please see number four above.
7. The end goal for a change agent is to develop self-renewing behavior on the part of clients. My job is not complete until the teachers with whom I work no longer need me. At that point, they can fully and confidently implement a wide array of technology throughout their curriculum. As technology is never stagnant, this role ensures that I will have job security for many years to come.

In conclusion (and upon reviewing the roles of the change agent as have been identified above), it is evident that my role as a Technology Curriculum Specialist can easily be summarized as that of a change agent. Now if only more teachers were eagerly willing to change.

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References

Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). New York: Free Press.

Technorati Tags: change education technology

Well it's official. Or as official as any "un-conference" can be.

I just finished a chat session with three of the smartest people I've entered a Google Talk session with. Alright, it was my first time using Google Talk, but they are pretty smart.

Julie Lindsay, Steve Hargadon, Vicki Davis, and I discussed a few of the formalities surrounding an international version of EduBloggerCon. In our discussion, we decided it would be best to allow for asynchronous communication - accompanied by occasional "live" sessions - dates and methods to be determined later. What's the name of all this madness, you ask?

EduBloggerWorld - coming to a Ning near you. Steve has done an excellent job in creating an online community in which we can all participate - the official URL of which is http://www.edubloggerworld.com/. It is our hope that this site will serve as the home and planning location for future, international versions of EduBloggerCon.

There's no turning back now.

Technorati Tags: edubloggercon07 edubloggerworld international