Author: sewilkie

Growing the Culture of a Learning Community

flickrcom-photos-ben_grey

image source: Ben Grey

Crossposted at BalancEdTech

We’ve been doing a lot of talking about Professional Learning Communities, and the intentional efforts of some to create communities of purposeful learning.  The activity linked here is one we recently crafted for a team of teachers who have been given one day each month to explore, test-drive and share elements of practice, as they relate to shifts toward student-owned and global learning.

Given this gift of time and opportunity, I wonder…

  • What might they need to consider as they learn toward their goal of student-owned learning and global connectivity?
  • What professional & pedagogical process changes will be most important to consider?
  • What do they need, or need to avoid, to make the most of this opportunity?
  • How can we best support their efforts to create a culture of professional learning?
Categories: Uncategorized2 Comments

Doing More or Doing Some Things Differently?

il_570xN.498030143_2zan
image source: http://www.etsy.com

My partners and I have been noodling around with the ides of “less is more” in the context of education, but most especially when it comes to teaching and learning.  In fact, we’ve facilitated several discussions and workshops with teachers and learners from around the world, centered on the idea of Less (Teaching) Is More (Learning). 

Thinking about our educational landscape and the wide range of things pulling at our time and attention, it’s not a wonder why even the smallest shifts often seem nearly impossible.  Are we constantly trying to do more, or are we working to do some things differently? Is there a time when each has merit?

Please consider and share your efforts just over the past few months…

Doing More:
– What are you doing more of?
– What are your students doing more of?
– To what benefit?
– At what cost?

Doing Some Things Differently:
– What are you doing differently?
– What are your students doing differently?
– To what benefit?
– At what cost?

 

Categories: Uncategorized179 Comments

Creating Edutopia

 

Creating Edutopia

IMG_0254cross posted at http://balancedtech.blogspot.com/

New Things, New Ways

In his article Shaping Tech for the Classroom, Marc Prensky outlines what is considered to be the typical process of technology adoption.

1. Dabbling – doing what we’ve always done, pretty much how we’ve always done it

Example: I recall a conversation I had with my Grandma, shortly after my Uncle set up her e-mail account. She was fascinated with the new ‘electrical mail’, and explained how she had already written several letters to us. Thinking I had missed something, I checked my e-mail account again…nothing.

“Gram, I don’t think we received them.”

“Oh, I haven’t sent them, yet. I just typed them and need to figure out how to get them out so I can put them in envelopes.”

2. Doing old things in old ways – communicating and/or exchanging information digitally

Example: Seven other teachers and I taught at the same grade level, in the same building, but on different schedules. To support our communicative efforts, we constantly shared ideas, lesson plans and other resources using email, googledocs & wiki pages.

3. Doing old things in new ways – video & animated demonstrations; writing on blogs, wikis, etc.

Example: One of my 3rd grade students taught himself how to use Scratch, then used the software to create an animated video about a particular aspect of energy conservation

Example: Students use Inspiration or another graphic organizer to create story webs of selected anthologies

4. Doing new things in new ways – creative & innovative, ‘next-step’ teaching

Example: Students chose to create blogs to develop and strengthen their understanding of a particular topic. They used the blogs to host links to articles, videos, images and podcasts that supported their learning. One way the new,new component surfaced was through student investigations of professionals in various fields. Students identified professionals, invited them to ‘speak’ on their blog, respond to their posts and become members of their learning network. By “reaching out and pulling in”, exchanging ideas, questions & resources with so many experts beyond the walls of their classrooms, students were doing new things in new ways.

Example: Teachers use digital tools to reach outside our immediate circle of experience and knowledge, and to engage in significant discourse about a wide variety of professional topics.

Our goal by the end of the year is to have a range of things that fit into stages 3 and 4

Working with your partner, please consider and respond to each question below. As always, you are welcome and encouraged to use any tools at your disposal to share your thinking (audio or text responses, links to student work, or other examples).

1.  What have you done or planned that you think would fit into category 3?
2.  What have you done or planned that you think would fit into category 4?
3.  Are  there any activities or projects that might qualify as a 3.5?
Categories: Uncategorized59 Comments