Chapter 10 - What It All Means

So here we are, at the end of the book, saturated with lots of new, important information about the Read/Write Web and it's implications for student learning...

Chapter 10 was written in a way that nicely revisits each of the premises examined throughout the book while coming back to the big picture.  And here is the big picture in my mind: the access that students have to information has become almost limitless.  If we choose to use only the traditional instructional resources and tools, we are gatekeepers to their potential moving forward.  I really see it as a moral imperative.  We need to develop a knowledge of and comfort with employing appropriate technology tools to assist  in their life-long success.  Students have that right.

I found myself nodding in affirmation at each of the "Big Shifts" but the one that resounds most with me is "Big Shift 4:  Teaching is Conversation, Not Lecture.  Throughout this text I found that to be the thread that pulled each of the components together.  Learning is a social practice.  We learn more when we take existing ideas, assimilate new information, evaluate, reconsider and formulate new understandings.  Siemen's quote:
"Ideas are presented as the starting point for dialogue, not the ending point" perhaps should be a banner in classrooms everywhere.  I know for sure that we all want our students to think!

Chapter 9 Response

As someone who joined Facebook against her will a couple of years ago, I really could relate to those who suggest it's just one more medium for consuming our time and attention; compelling us to "stay connected."  And while I admit to being sucked in by the need to check in daily (it was nice to see what everyone was up to...especially friends who live far away), the novelty has long since worn off for me.   But I'm not sure, as I reflect, that my waning interest is about Facebook per se, but more about my intrinsic desire to be away from the computer screen itself.  Richardson got me thinking about Facebook (and now Ning) in a very different way.  I had only considered the "friendship-based" component, as he describes it and never was aware of the interest-based possibilities with these sites.  Richardson illustrates the benefits of those interest-based connections when he states, "The power of ten working interactively will invariably outstrip the power of one looking to beat out the other nine."  The difference between learning the content of their classes and learning how to engage about the content is compelling.

I  got home earlier tonight from parent/teacher conferences at my son's high school.  Facebook came up as part of the natural direction the conversation headed in when he remarked, "I hate Facebook.  I don't think there's a need for it at all."  (Young teacher, btw).  Last week I might have agreed with him, (and a couple years ago I would have said that texting was completely unnecessary, but I now see and live the benefit of texting).   My mind is more open to the many possibilities including wikis and blogs that potentially strengthen the  learning experience.

I don't see myself using Facebook or Ning with students but I do value the potential!

Chapter 8 Response

It's a bit of a paradox.  Innovative technologies are making our lives challenging (right now, as we attempt to learn) while at the same time making our lives easier and more engaging instructionally.  At some point, with lots of experience, this gap will close and the execution of all that we've learned will be seamless.  (Ah, Utopia)!!

I'm starting to see the gap closing for me a bit.  In reading chapter 8 about Podcasting and Livestreaming, I could at the very least, visualize these multimedia tools.  I don't think I will use these within the context that I work with students however I have become familiar with the flip camera.  Dan W. uses it for all of the news stories his crew in the Broadcasting Club develops.  I've seen how easy it is to just plug into the computer and translate video and still shots into a broadcast that often runs that very same morning.  I think this is the grabber for me.  With older technologies we had to wait for the process to play out.  Consider taking pictures for use in your classroom and getting them developed the old fashioned way.  Think about the use of overhead projectors and transparencies and how the need to create the transparency can hinder an instructional moment. (I still love the overhead, though).  These tools engage students and capture authentic moments of learning in a timely way!

Video publishing is second nature to students.  This "Youtube" generation possesses a skill set that we need to catch up to; particularly if we want to design learning experiences that match the outside world.

Chapter 7 Response

After playing around with Photopeach this weekend, I had a solid sense of what Flickr was all about; a "photo hosting site" that allows you to access, post, and organize photos for your personal use, and certainly for use in the classroom.  The added feature that really appealed to me was the site's capacity for annotating images.  The use of images to engage students' thinking is very powerful.  Add to that the ability, through annotation, to engage in discussion within and beyond the walls of the classroom, and learning could really be the social experience it is meant to be!

Tagging is a huge feature with Flickr as well.  I know it's a tool for searching, organizing searches/info. and for connecting with others with common interests, but it still seems vague to me.  (If anyone can put it in a nutshell for me so that I'm pursuaded to make the "tagging commitment," feel free!)

There are some distinct ways I could use this with students.  I see it as a great tool for categorizing photos around specific lessons; using it as a tool for activating prior knowledge to launch a unit of study; using collections of photos to illustrate comprehension strategies. (The annotation feature is a bonus here!)
I'd also like to tap into it as a tool for my graduate course on content literacy.  I have to investigate that a bit further...

I know we've all expressed concern about providing safe access to this and other Web 2.0 tools to our students.  Because I don't have a core group of students that I see, I want to be sure that I am fully in the loop with permissions and procedures as we get up and running with the technology!

On a final note about Flickr, as I searched "content literacy" for endless photos, I came upon one that I viewed as a message for all of us feeling overwhelmed with new information right now!! 

Chapter 6 Response

In this chapter Richardson attempts to answer our growing anxiety about what to do with the overwhelming amount of content that we can access on the internet.  Through "social bookmarking" he argues, "you're creating your own community of researchers..." (p. 90) and there is a handy way to organize all that is gathered by this "community."  Instead of the traditional bookmarking that we do on our computers, social bookmarking allows you to access those sites from any computer, to "tag" those sites and have others contribute to your growing pool of resources.  When I read about it in chapter 6 it made vague sense, but was too much information given my limited experience with Web 2.0 tools so I used the Social Bookmarking In Plain English video tutorial to solidify it all for me.  This clip really made the whole tagging process more
clear.  Check it out!

In my attempt to try tagging, I went to Delicious, a social bookmarking site that the author touts as great for networking with other people with common interests.  I created an account and searched "content literacy" to see what resources are out there.  Although I haven't had a lot of time to dig deeply into it, I was excited about some of the resources that came up.  I tagged two resources; one "reading" and the other "content literacy."  I'm not sure at this point where to go from here.  I need more time to play with it....and perhaps to watch the social bookmarking video again.
While this chapter put me over the top a bit with new technology, I also see this information as essential because it forces organization.  If we get our info organized, we're more likely to use it!

Chapter 5 Response

Dear Abby,

Chapter 5 was a killer!  I'm grateful that we are a few steps ahead of the book because without having signed up with Google Reader last week, chapter 5 would have overwhelmed me.  For the first time I really thought, "information overload."

I get that RSS keeps information consumption "efficient and relevant", (Richardson, p. 71) and I appreciate that it's a useful technology in bringing recent news right to me instead of my poring through endless blogs, news feeds, etc. but as I read through all of the ways I could use it personally or with students, I could feel myself starting to shut down a bit.  I think my reaction comes from the image of my having to spend hours each day in front of the computer trying to catch up on all of the new information that is coming to me.  I tend to be a "get the job done and get out" kind of person when it comes to sitting at the computer. 

The author did offer several suggestions for managing volume such as adding only "worthwhile" sites to my subscriptions.  Additionally, the ideas of creating files for different topics will come in handy should I maintain my mental composure that far into the process.  Nonetheless, I think I need to take a couple of steps backwards and feel the love with my basic blogging....insights welcome!
Signed,
Nervous About Newsfeeds

Chapter 4 Response

Interesting to know:  The term "wiki" comes from the Hawaiian for "wiki-wiki" which means quick according to Richardson, p. 55.  (I'm sure my wiki will seem quick once I get used to it).

Important to know:  "Wikipedia is becoming a trusted and cited source by many major news outlets" including the New York Times. (Richardson, p. 58).  This was important information in shaping my (previously limited) information about wikis.   Because of shared authorship (and often anonymous authorship) I, along with many other educators, have viewed Wikipedia as unreliable in research because anyone can make changes to it at any time.  Well, you know how the saying goes, "A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing."  As I continued through the reading my thinking about wikis shifted in that I can see the potential as a venue to collaboratively "grow knowledge."  Students must continually evaluate information, check outside sources to confirm and then express what they know. 

I find it interesting that in an industry that buys so heavily into textbook use as the core of our content area instruction,  we are at best tentative and certainly suspicious of the use of sites like Wikipedia.  The "word" in textbooks is often taken as gospel, when it's been shown time and again that there are so many inaccuracies.   How is that any different?  I'm sure it's our mindset.  With that in mind, would it not be worth dipping our toes in the wiki waters?

Chapter 3 response

Chapter 3 was like a "beach read" because of all the great instruction Keri has given us.  So easy to make sense of it when we've already practiced it!  The "Blogging Step by Step" section helped me to review and solidify everything we've learned so far; the basics, I know, but still I feel like we've learned a lot! 


I valued the suggestions by the author to start small so that you, yourself become comfortable, but also found the suggestions for teachers very practical when working with students; use it as a "place to post homework assignments and relevant class links...get students reading blogs."  It left me feeling like I don't need to facilitate these major technological productions in a day!


The best new resource I got from this chapter was the list of "Good Educator's Blogs" listed at the very end.  Interested in reading what other people have to say about issues in education, I took a peek at Shelley Blake-Plock's blog and got a kick out of her thoughts on innovation in the classroom found in her post entitled "Do the Opposite."  Her suggestions are a bit oversimplified but she makes a great point and her message resonated with my own spot on the technology learning curve.  Check it out!

Chapter 2 response

Page 26 of chapter 2 addressed my primary question, "So what exactly can Weblogs do to improve student learning?"  While this course has gotten me excited about climbing on board the 21st century technology wagon, all along I've been pondering the contrast between acquired technological wizardry for its' own sake versus how the tool can truly change instruction in a way that impacts student learning.  Richardson responds to this question by pointing out several benefits including broadening the "relevance of student work" (p. 27).  Where many tasks begin and end in the classroom and address a limited audience, blogging affords students the opportunity to reflect on their learnings/writing as a result of comments and feedback "that come from outside of the classroom walls."  (Grade 4 teacher, Konrad Glogowski, Ontario, p. 30).  Richardson refers to this as "a new writing genre;" one that really moves students beyond just communicating and into "connecting with others who can potentially teach us more." (p. 28).  I see great potential in that (assuming that we can get all systems in place to insure student online safety), knowing that we are not here just to teach "stuff" but to teach students how to acquire knowledge and then how to use it!

The suggested uses of weblogs in school listed on pages 21-25 were insightful.  What related most to my own professional goals is the idea that we can use blogs as venues for sharing best practices.  With teachers continually having to juggle the demands of the curriculum and endeavoring to stay current with sound instructional strategies, blogging could be a very useful tool in continuing that work during and beyond the school day and school year.  A given technique could be presented or described and teachers can blog about their experience or their questions and even seek feedback as they try out the technique!  I see it as a fabulous online study group!!

Chapter 1 response

     What resonated most with me throughout chapter 1 was how we as teachers are really chasing technology as it continues to move ahead at light speed.  Richardson says, "the world is changing around us, yet as a system we have been very, very slow to react."  The rigorous instructional demands teachers face coupled with new technologies that are being unveiled before our eyes such as document cameras, interactive whiteboards and new webtools, impose a sense of urgency.  Where traditionally students have come to the teacher to learn,  many of us are learning from our students  in the face of rapidly growing access and skill in the use of technology at younger and younger ages.
     Issues of equity in education have to be examined in light of the chapter 1 discussion.  Technology integration is a powerful tool for 21st Century learning but not all students, individual schools or whole school districts have similar access to these tools.  Richardson, on page 7, mentions the 2005 Netday survey that "asserts that technology has become 'an indispensible tool in the education of today's students.'"  So what are the short and long term implications for districts that lack the funding sources to put into students' hands what seems to be equivalent to the basic paper and pencil?  Surely a gap will develop in terms of the acquired skillset students will take throughout their schooling and into the competetive job market.