Lesson+12+Assignment

Lesson 12 Assignment - Educational Change Challenge and One Day in the Life of Web 2.0
To conclude not only this session but this workshop, I have two items to address. First I want you to read the extremely interesting and insightful blog posting by David Warlick. It is titled “A Day in the Life of Web 2.0.” After reading Warlick’s post, I would like for you to post your reaction to his scenario about what 21st century education could look like. Does it make sense, is it nonsense, is it science or is it science fiction? Please use the wiki edit feature to post your comments **below**.

Secondly, I have posted a link to a YouTube video titled the" Educational Change Challenge". It is a powerful collection of quotes incredibly relevant to our workshop and the future of educational reform. It is 2 minutes and 26 seconds long, and worth every second of it. This video will make you pause and think! Please view the video and post your reaction to the discussion tab **above**. So between these two exercises, you will both edit the page and also utilize the discussion tab.

Again, as I said during our final live session and at the conclusion of lesson 12, it has been my pleasure to accompany you along this path of 21st century understanding. I sincerely hope this workshop has been beneficial for you and that you have enjoyed our journey together as much as I have!

Best Regards, Gary Shorter



@http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEHNhcdyMtc
 * Educational Change Challenge**

When I was reading this article, several things struck me. The positives are: This staff is intelligent and efficient. Everyone is on the same page. Everyone is working together. One negative was: Everyone is communicating and collaborating through the computer. This is very efficient and allows staff members to do this at his/her convenience. What I am wondering is, are we going to lose social contact? I think that the school decribed in this article is the school we must strive to be if we are going to be relevant for our students and global world. We just have to make sure that we take some time for direct contact with our staff members. Eileen Kovacik
 * Start Your Posts Here: **
 * The article makes sense, but sometimes with so much being over the airwaves and dependant on it, a blackout would cause disruption and then noththing would be accomplished in the classroom. The idea that the parents would have a unique opportunity to find out what kind of things the students are doing is great, and the idea that the teachers would be in so much collaboration because of the technology connection is also great. I feel like there are already those pockets of society that are taking a positive adavantage of the positives tha technology can hold, and are making are students more ready for the global society because of it. **
 * Karen B-C **
 * It is important and necessary to move to educating using techonolgy. We as adults use technology daily through skype, im, texting etc. The only downfall would be teachers not understanding who to incorporate and use the technology properly. The students will be excited about learning the way they think and interact in their daily lives. I believe that this is science, not science fiction. **
 * Angel W. **
 * Technology is like every other tool --it works as well as the people who are using it. Being educated about technology and having the tools to share the knowledge of technology is primary. The negative aspect of technology is the disconnectedness it can encourage, as Ashley said. Finding the balance between embracing technology and maintaining our existing productive relationships will be key. Like with all things, I am sure the pendulum will swing too much in each direction before the balance is found. **
 * Sharon B. **
 * I absolutely agree that there are many positives, as well as negatives with this move to more technology in our classrooms. It's wonderful that our students will have the world at their finger tips, but we have to teach them how to find that information and what to do when they have found that information. It's wonderful being able to text/email/instant message our co-workers and have the message arrive to them in an instant, but we will be losing some of our personal contact with one another. I think our students have an incredible opportunity with the world at their finger tips, but we need to teach them what to do and how to handle all of that since some of them do not have a computer at home. **
 * Ashley Cain **
 * And shouldn't we all pay closer attention to our Science Fiction because how often has it become our Science? I appreciate all I read and hope to implement at least parts that can be utilized by myself and my students. One of my worries is that many of our students still only have access to parts of technology at school. I still have students who are not able to BLOG at home because they have no computer. While this handicaps us somewhat, it also should increase our determination to use what we can at school and expose our students to as much 21st centure skills as possible. For myself the BLOGing the webpage, the use of webcasts and webquests, the use of a schoolwide calendar online, email,etc. makes not only perfect sense but most of the time facilitates and organizes my functioning and teaching. Yet, some people still find it more stressful than the traditional face to face or hard copy way. We need to find a way to include everyone as we move forward. Gail West **

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 * This article simply captivates me. No! This is not science fiction! This is the reality of current educational processes that interconnect administrators, facutly/staff, parents, students, and members of the immediate community! This model is strikingly similar to the blended on-line/in-class model of my current graduate work at Cleveland State. It all makes perfect sense. Students wouldn't dare post something to the blog that they have not thoroughly researched, as it would be a reflection on them. Traditional discussion/essay responses only hold the student accoutable to the teacher. Now, thanks to wikis and blogs, students know that their peers will read and critique what they have written! This is also a phenomenal approach to project based learning, as teachers can collaborate, not face-to-face, but in cyberspace, to coordinate their curriculum to address the standards of what another teacher is espousing upon the students. This is a sound technological approach to learning, for students, as well as all stakeholders involved. Community members that have joined in the project-based learning approach, would read the blogs and be able to present relevant, provocative information to enhance student learning and collaborate with teachers. **

I think that this acticle was very interesting and I enjoyed reading how these teachers use technology and how they involve the students. They even have the parents and the people in thier community working together using technology. I really liked how the social studies teacher blogs and quick access to websites, I think that is is wonderful that this teacher is having studnets think more and write more than just a short essay. I also agree that seeing others students work will benefit each student, students might find something they have in common like the love of writing. I also think it is great that the librian and the tech teacher has gotten involved by watching the other teachers, this way the teachers and students are getting more support and resources. As a teacher sometimes I struggle to find the time to sit and find resources and websites. Luckily my school has extra people that love to help find resources and websites that would work for kindergarten teachers. One more idea, I really think that al lschool districts should think about the idea of letting the community have an opinion on the improvement plan. This would give the community an idea of how much a school district has to think about when it comes to how the school is ran. I think that this article makes sense, I think that the teachers are getting a chance to really collaborate with each other. I also think that this is science, this is something that is happening and our world is moving towards this kind of learning and teaching. Christle Busch WOW! This sounds so futuristic that it doesn't even seem real!! If this is what society has come to then as educators we must be prepared to teach our children for the future. All the technology with blogging/webquests/ipads/text messaging just shows how advanced some schools are that are able to provide these things. I also thought it was very neat how all the teachers, students, and parents can communicate through technology. This makes things go so much more smoothly and organized. Amanda Berger

After reading “A day in the life of Web 2.0”, I can totally envision a school running this smoothly. Through communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking any school can function and succeed with the advances of technology in this way. I have noticed that many suburban school districts are moving in this direction. I love the interaction with not only the inner workings of the school, but the parents and community. This is the right course for the future of all of our schools! Shannon Boros

After reading Warlick’s post, I believe that he clearly draws a picture of a realistic scenario about what 21st century education looks like. It makes complete sense. Think of what we do in a day. Wake up to the alarm on our cell phone. Send a text, change your email, maybe listen to the news that you podcasted to your phone the night before, check updates to your school wiki, and so on a so forth. So why would a day in school be any different? We need to teach our students not only how to use these things, but how to educate themselves on subject matter by using them. It is important for us as 21st Century Teachers to help our students achieve these goals.

Jessica Vale-Stanford

After reading Warlick's post I agree that is makes sense in this technological world that school would look like what Warlick describes. We spend countless hours on cell phones, computers, ipods, ipads so why not teach this way in the classroom? Our students are going to have to know to use all of this technology to succeed in the business world. It is important that 21st century teachers help prepare our students by implementing these into our classroom. I know it's hard to find the time, but if we collaborate with other staff members we can find many websites, resources, support, and ideas to help move towards 21st century learning. Allison Underation

This article shows how true collaboration can take place amongst multiple groups of people with the simple use of technology. Using technology allowed educators, students, administration, parents, and the rest of the community to become involved at the same time. I think that some teachers are apprehensive about implementing technology because they themselves are unfamiliar and in a sense uncomfortable. If all teachers could be trained on things such as blogs, wikis, smart boards etc. they might recognize the positive outcome and be more likely to use them in thier classrooms. Teachers can also work together to find resources such as websites to implement into instruction. I think the article gave a great preview at what true collaboration and learning could and should be! Gillian Roth

I can't believe we aren't teaching this way! All of the technology exists, much of it is currently in our schools. The reason I would expect that this has not caught on everywhere (anywhere?) is this: our teachers (and students, families, administrators, etc.) are not familiar enough with the web 2.0 resources mentioned. Specifically, wikis and RSS. I can also say from experience that HOPE Academies have issues with some of this because of all Blogs being blocked by the internet filter. If only the White Hat execs could read this article! They would see that we have the technology listed there, the only money involved would be technology skills training for the staff at each school. Kevin Fancher

After reading the article from Warlick, I can better envision the 21st century school. We always hear that teacher collaboration is key to the success of the school. Through varied technology this could actually be possible (versus the current issues of physical separation and limits of time.) Communication between teachers, administrators and parents could easily be facilitated through the technology described. As a parent the idea of being able to actually hear the content of my child’s class is amazing. I would love to be able to support his learning at that level of comprehension. I love the idea of the pod casts because it requires very little extra work for the teacher, while allowing people outside the classroom total access to the content of the coursework. Honestly, my one fear in this scenario is a total crash of all systems, in which the school would be lost without technology. Yet in the real world, when the server crashes, the work places struggles to maintain productivity at the regular pace (so it would be better reflecting the world outside the classroom in that way too – even though it is a bad thing.) Amy Damavandi

After reading the article from Warlick, I feel like I teach in the Stone Ages! What a great way to collaborate between teachers, students, parents, the community, and the superintendent! I LOVE these ideas. Everyone involved in educating these children can all openly communicate what is being taught and what will be taught in the future. I can't even imagine how excited the parents are! How amazing to actually be able to hear what your child is learning while at school! And to be able to actually have a discussion with their children about it? I bet it gets their teenagers to communicate with them on a daily basis! So many forms of technology are being used at this school. I truly hope one day I get to teach this way. How awesome!

Richelle Short

Collaboration and communication are key to increase student achievement. Technology is constantly changing and so is education. I think it is great when schools get everyone involved in education, especially through technology. However, we still have a long way to go because of course not everyone has the same access to technology as others. I do feel the face of education is changing and schools and teachers need to be able to adpat to this change. There are so many diverse learning styles in each classroom that teachers need to be able to use different instructional strategies to reach all of their students. Carly Polder

I was so impressed; yes, I think it can be done and how exciting it would be for students. We have one or two teachers who try new things with their own materials, but for our present schools to do this--we need changes. We don't have computers for each student; now we are just getting a couple of smartboards. Will we be trained? We need access to the internet; monies to purchase the types of everyday technology that the article talks about. Training to get everyone on board to create lessons that are interactive. Most of all we would need to bring parents in to let them see how this would work. We continue to have parents think that if there is noise and lots of movement in the classroom that students aren't learning; we even have teachers who think this way. Our students all have cell phones, but I am not sure if we have ever done a survey to find out if our parents have computers. Which after reading this information, we have to find out. Most of the teachers are willing to make changes if we provide the training and support to get the job done. I would be interested in knowing in what type of school district this occurred--middle to high income families? Sally Porter

I think that a world that the one in the article would be great. It would be great if staff would be able to collaborate and communicate in the way described by blog. This would offer some challenges. It would require training and enthusiasm from staff. We would also need to consider the technology that is available to our students outside of school. I was also struck by the comment on the video where it mentioned something about a doctor from 100 years ago being lost in today's operating room but a teacher from 100 years ago would be fine. I don't really agree with the comment; the role of teachers has changed dramatically in the past 10 years, though it does seem that we are a profession that is slow to embrace all of the newness around us. -Meg Story I would love to be a part of the 21st century ideas mentioned in this article. These ideas will be great for all involved (teachers, parents, students, advisors, administration, and community) How great would it be to access the curriculum of your local schools and create activities around their school theme, or just help your child with homework by reading the directions given yourself rather than what was interoperated by your student in class. I also, liked the part as using the wiki as the student textbook. Way too often we run out of textbooks or are unable to get the newer version needed to teach up-to-date and current information. One thing I do worry about right now which may change in the future is the access that our students may have or not have to the computers. Many of ours students do not have the Internet or even a working computer in their home. Maybe we can find a way to fix that as well. Aubrey Richards

After reading this article, I feel that we still have a long way to go to get to this point in our schools and classrooms. Technology is definitely growing and becoming more and more popular in school, but some schools still do not have access to everything mentioned in the reading. It would be awesome to be able to post band concerts on a podcast for parents to view at home and for teachers to post homework assignments and weekly lesson plans, but what if my students do not have a computer with internet access at home? But, I do think that this is a great idea to have. Using computers, podcasts, wiki's, blogs, cell phones, and other technology in the classroom would get students much more involved and give them skills and knowledge to succeed in the 21st Century. I also think that having all of these things mentioned in the article would also increase parent involvement because of the access they would have at home to what their child is doing in school. Overall, I find a lot a good things with this article, but we still have a lot to do to get to this point. Emily Volk

I feel very excited after reading this article and think it is great! My initial reaction though is we are going to have a lot of people who are afraid of this technology that is coming. I just this week made a comment about using ipads during class and how much easier it would have made a lesson I was doing. I totally see us doing this in our school, but am worried about how the resources will find us...I really like how you can reference what another teacher is doing without taking up time from their busy schedule to meet with them. Get the facts first then discuss with each other. I look forward to seeing the changes happen and being a part of them. Christina Clason

I found it incredible that a school could run so technologically advanced and connected to the outside world. It was exciting that parents and community members were so involved. A staff that works like a well-oiled machine is fantastic! We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have computer labs, computers in every classroom, and an Activboards in every classroom, but we are no where ready to compete with Web 2.0. A constant disadvantage for students all over, is funding and accessibility of technology. Many urban students and parents do no have access to the interent unless they are at school. I am interested in Web 2.0's success rate on current standardized assessments. I know we are moving toward a new assessment system, but with what is currently in place, I am curious how such a 21st century ready school would fare on today's tests. Our government needs to move our education system as a whole, at a much more rapid pace so that Web 2.0 is not just a dream or science fiction, as others have commented, but a reality and a success story for all students and educators. Stephanie Groscost

Again, I think it starts with the teachers. I notice that I have a few teachers who are venturing into this direction. They are setting up class websites, blogging with the students, creating podcasts, setting up google accounts with the students. I think that these "experts" can teach and encourage their colleagues until one by one, we have a school culture where this becomes the norm as we venture into the 21st Century classroom. I have never used a wiki before and I can see how convenient and easy it is to collaborate. My next step is to create one of my own. Linda Mansfield

Wow! I can't wait until this becomes a reality in our schools. I agree with Linda that this will take time and more and more teachers will try new things like us joining this class and learning about wikis. One thing that I was noticing while taking this class was that on the wiki, anyone could go in and change what I wrote. I can alter what someone else wrote. Does this ever cause a problem with the students? With all the cyberbulling going on, can you tell what and when someone makes an edit? Some kids are mean and I would hope there are restrictions. I still have more to learn about wikis. The article described the ideal learning experience, but unless someone is proficient using these tools, a lot of time can be wasted. Training is a key issue. Diana Zidian

I really like the idea of having multiple technological resources for students to manipulate in school. Editing a Wiki is a wonderful, 21st Century activity and I think students would enjoy the activity, as well as learn more about how to use technology to increase learning. I also like the idea of having a weekly blog. I would love to be able to share great news, topics of discussion, learning targets, etc. with the families of my students. I think this school is a brilliant idea, but it is unrealistic at this time. Schools don't have the resources to provide up-to-date computers, MP3 players, and usage information to every student and many families don't have computers at home. Rachel Sonego  Wow! After this course, I feel like I have a new out look on education. I am excited to learn and implement how to engage my classroom using the technology. However, I feel that we need to be sure that we are focused on teaching the students how to use the information correctly. I am quite excited to be able to incoporate the technology because I believe that the students will want to learn in a classroom that utlizes these methods! I think that the professional development will be the neccessary tool to ensure that we understand how to implement the changes correctly. It would be wonderful to see the excitment and know that the students are learning how to be ready for the 21st century! I agree with Stephanie that the tests need to match the expectations that are explained in the new methods! Trena F.

This is not science fiction. I am not a digital native, but I get RSS feeds. I was unaware of the site that could sort them for me, but I am relatively new to using feeds. Our students are digital natives. We are doing them a disservice by not attempting to catch up with them and use what appeals to them in the classroom. And if some of our students are not familiar to blogs, wikis, RSS feeds, twitter, facebook, etc. we need to help them catch up. They are part of our world. I never thought I'd text someone, but I learned to do it when I got a blackberry and have great fun doing so now! We need to get over our fears. I can also remember the first time I used a computer, but I would be lost without one now! Jill Davis  I found the article to be very interesting. It would be nice to see a lot of teachers collaborate together like the ones in the article. I would love to see students interact with each other via blogs, wikis, and twitters. As a whole school, if we communicated like the teachers, the principal, and district superintendent then we would be on the same page and not lost. Tina Bennington

After reading this article I feel like it would be a great opportunity for students to be in an environment of learning in this manner. The logistics of it though worry me. It seems as if it will be a lot of extra work for the teachers to set it all up. It would also be rather difficult for the younger students to collaborate in this manner as they can not necissarily use all of these programs on their own. It would be a great idea for upper grades I just do not see it working correctly in the younger grades. Johanna Coppock

This article was very interesting! The teachers collaborate with each other more than most schools do. The technology is amazing and could be a great tool to use. The one problem that I see though, is the cost of all the technology. It's great for us to learn about these possibilities, but in reality it's not going to happen in our inner-city schools. If this would ever become reality, it would be a great addition to the tools that we already use. Tony Cardinal

I really enjoyed reading this article and imagining the possibilities! I was telling my son just the other day that one day, there would be phones that would work just from using people’s thoughts. He is sure that will NEVER happen, but I told him that when I was growing up, cordless phones were unheard of, and that cell phones weren’t even thought of, let alone all the things cell phones can do now! The possibilities presented in this article are amazing, and I think are definitely rooted in reality. For example, I’m intrigued by the idea that students might contribute more meaningfully to class discussions and reflections if given the opportunity to complete them on a blog. I’m excited about things like that, and can’t wait to see if one of my teachers or staff wants to try something like that in their classroom. G. Joy Beasley

Ok, while I read the article, all I kept thinking was: the amount of time is must take is probably insane. I don't know about everyone here, but one of the reasons I got into teaching is to avoid emailing all the time. I don't want my job to exist on the computer. I like personal communication, feeling things, talking about things, and learning from body language- as well as words. Now, that doesn't mean I don't find some awesome stuff in collaboration and teaching via the web/internet. In the past, I've assigned homework over myspace. It would be nice to create a bulletin/wiki list of really great and interesting old/new bands/music. So sure, but I often get very nervous when we yell technology! technology! technology! and forget how much we learn from communicating with each other. Jenny Kane

So many things rushed through my mind as i read this- cost was one- not the cost for PD (we have plenty of grants for that) but for the hardware..... and personally part of the reason i am not as savvy as others is that our household is 'electronics poor' - i mean, i JUST entered the 1990s and got my first iPod last week! i think we, as staff, would be more comfortable if we were already familiar. and i am concerned about finding the RIGHT professional development. I also worry about our parents. mrs. porter- we did do a survey 3-4 years ago. about 50% had computers and many of them did not have internet access. the numbers may have changed but it certainly is not the same for our schools that it is for more affluent districts. my last big thought was 'will this make a teacher's work load simpler or more complicated?' i am thinking that for established teachers, it might actually make somethings simpler, but for new teachers, it might be the straw that breaks the camel's back. but all that being said, i think it is not science fiction and we will be teaching that way. some districts sooner than others but eventually we will all be there. BethAnn Harrison