Technologically Literate

Sorry about the ghost post, something went terrible wrong when I tried to publish yesterday.  Anyway…

Is it possible that the blur of school is on us already?  I don’t mean school itself, I mean the endless cycle of Monday, garbage day, Friday, NFL game, Monday…I am guilty.  I have a fascination with crossing off dates.  But sometimes that’s not good enough.  I cross off months, weeks, days, and I even find myself crossing off class periods.  You can become so consumed with time that time dictates your teaching. 

How will I fill this time?  Where will I find the time?  Let’s not do that because there is not enough time.  You and your students could be missing out on great experiences when teaching becomes consumed with time.  My unqualified advice, let go.  It will get done or it won’t.   The odds of deep understanding are actually better if you fully explore an idea than if you scratch the surface of 100.  If you model the thinking and learning process well, then you can put ownership of the rest of the content into their hands.        

That said, I want to be better this year.  I myself want to let go of education being a function of time.  I want to be a more thoughtful, more reflective learner and I hope by being conscious of that, I will help others around me do the same. 

Have a great year,

I’ll tell you the Russian story next time I get a moment to type.  It has to do with 21st century tech and one student placed here in good ol’ DuBois PA, that only speaks Russian.  Let the wackiness ensue.

Great meeting this afternoon yielding interesting action.  I successfully lobbied the MIS department to relax the internet filter for teacher accounts.  To be honest, it was an unexpected, but welcome move by the department.   

Here is how it went down.  After some back forth between the director, I, and a well intentioned technician, the conversation changed from what could go wrong to whose responsibility is it when something does go wrong. Each side had valid points.  The techs feel they need to protect both the system and the students, while I see internet use on company time as an adult decision.  The sticking point was really a common argument; if something goes wrong who is responsible, the user or the provider.  There was a real worry that if a large problem was revealed that the “well they let me” defense could be invoked. 

In the end there seemed to be a small, albeit contentious, agreement.  Decision: Teachers (I say professionals) are capable of making decisions regarding what resources are necessary to effectively teach.  The caveat is that if they find evidence of misuse, they reserve the right to lock it back down.  Frankly, I am okay with that if it is done the right way.  I hope the right way goes something like this: run the reports, collect evidence, and provide a warning.  If the violation is recorded again then the person needs to be taken through the proper discipline channels. 

We all agreed that violations are things like gambling, eBay shopping, or fantasy sports.  What the majority of us call complete stupidity if you are supposed to be at work.  (Unfortunately also a reality) 

It’s a start and we’ll see how it goes, but I think this may be a move that will be looked upon as positive for all parties.  The teachers are treated like capable, professional adults, the administration shows trust in the staff, and the students have a chance to learn from up-to-the-minute material located on the web.       

Or did I just give myself a whole lot o’ rope?      

In August I will be going around to 9 of our schools and talking to the faculty and staff.  As the new Technology Integration Specialist, I am going to briefly cover who I am and why my job has become necessary. 

Using information from folks like Ian Jukes, George Siemens, Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod, I pieced together a presentation that I hope will get the point across.  My point, the kids are alright, we are the ones that need change.  It is my goal to introduce 20 teachers to professional networking and begin the process of changing educational practices here in DuBois, PA.

This was done with the web application Spresent and it seems to work best in full screen mode (lower right).

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Cross posted at The Bloggers’ Cafe

     In my effort to explore connectivism as a learning theory (see Conduit is King) I immediately find myself wondering, what is the most difficult part in shifting practice.  I am a child of the 20^th century.  I can’t help organizing and structuring information.  I shop with a grocery list for crying out loud.  I personally begin with the most difficult, leaving items or ideas that I consider easy(er) for last.  In the case of redefining knowledge and the learning process I am drawn to the idea of recombination.  Recombination is the act of taking anything (information, web pages, videos, ect.) and manipulating it to fit you and your specific need.  Personalization causes concern for us “industrial learners.”  (I am using industrial learner in the context of 20^th century folks who experienced a linear education from “the experts.”)   
     To us, recombination is frightening, recombination is letting go of ownership.  Industrial education had/has a structure.  We were taught there was a beginning and an end to things and that there is a specific place to go to receive information.  Set information was/is chunked up in to periods of time only to be reviled when you are ready.  It had nothing to do with you as individual it was/is a function of time.  Unfortunately for those of us with one foot in the past and one in the present, a flood of information and tools made personalization both an option and a necessity.  Teachers and schools have become white noise in the competition for a child’s attention largely because a child still has no ownership.  I believe that getting teachers to let go of content and to encourage exploration could be hurdle number one on the path to education reform.  Siemens says, the ability to connect, recombine, and recreate have become hallmarks of knowledge today (p. 82, Knowing Knowledge)  For educators to foster those abilities they will need to offer up information (possible unfamiliar information) and ideas that are intended to spark connection, individual recombination, and unique creation.
     But what will they talk about, what will they learn, and what will they create?  Predictably followed by, how will I assess it?  Those questions are indicative of a person concerned with their perceived authority.   My questions are, how do you tell a person that has been teaching a subject for any length of time that content is secondary, if not completely irrelevant to process?  Content and its mastery is the measuring stick of our profession.  I could not be considered a practicing professional until I passes a multiple choice test on communication models.  (Those have come in real handy)  Also, do they know how they themselves learn let alone how 150 students learn?  Finally, is it the responsibility of professional development to take on such an undertaking or must it be an individual choice?
 

Inbox (1) PD Opportunity: from kpruitt
You are cordially invited to a professional development workshop that will explore the process of learning.
 

Re:  From: teacherx
Are you kidding?  I have been teaching for 10 years!  What are you going to tell me about learning?  My kids learn, look at the scores!  PS.  Quit spamming my inbox, I am busy making sure kids know about the Fertile Crescent!
 

     Even now, knowing what I know, it is a little unnerving to let this post go.  I know that others are much farther along in this line of thinking and to them this is just the 1000^th definition of the same problem.  What causes even more trepidation is that this information will be posted where anyone can accept it, reject it, mix it, mash it and recreate it as they see fit.  I can only imagine what it must be like for educators who spent decades achieving the goal of content mastery. 
 

To accept recombination, you have to let go of ego.  Who among us is willing to do that? 
    
On a personal note I want to thank Jen, Ryan, and Darren for their efforts.  I look forward to participating in a growing network of change.

Ken Pruitt/DuBois, PA/Tech Integration Specialist

It’s 80 degrees, sunny, and there is a slight breeze that keeps the drapes flowing in the room.  I should be outside.  Instead I have a wrist cramp, a tight back, and my eyes feel like they are filled with sand.  Yep, chronic laptop use syndrome and I blame Jeff Utecht… this time.

In Jeff’s post, Pedagogy Defines School 2.0 (revisited) he speaks of connectivism, a theory that, I must admit, I had never heard of.  In fact, I just had a conversation with my super about using technologies to support constructivist practices.   Oh boy…

Fortunately, George Siemens, the mind behind connectivism (Jeff please correct me if I am wrong) acknowledges that it is impossible to know every angle on a given piece of information.  Even better for us, he advocates just letting some things be until all of the connections can be made to achieve a perspective. 

George Siemens authored Knowing Knowledge in 2006.  I haven’t finished the e-book (pdf download), nor have I been able to get a good grasp on how to articulate the information it contains, so I suppose this is more of an advertisement than an original thought.  

E-books, like Knowing Knowledge (Siemens) and Coming of Age (Freedman et all), represent an interesting shift in what is considered text.  These “books” are authored by experts, but they are not products.  The authors are setting up the content so that it can be current and continue to flow.  By attaching blogs, wikis, and in Terry’s case a ning, the authors have started the learning process from their point of view and are allowing the information to evolve as more perspective is introduced.

Is this the responsibility of the expert in our age of information?  You present information, allow others (trusted individuals) to process it, re-define ideas based on new perspective and present again.  Meanwhile ”the others” are presenting the information in their networks allowing their members to add perspective.  (Okay, I am working it out, I think.)

Bottom line in a world flooded with content, the process becomes more important than the content. 

Here are some interesting quotes or ideas from Knowing Knowledge.

“The problem rests largely in the view that learning is a managed process, not a fostered process.” 

“Conversation is the ultimate personalization experience.”

“A product is a stopped process.”

“We have become the filter, the mediator, and the weaver.” 
 

Okay, I need a break.  I will come back to this as I mull through it…hopefully with Jeff’s help and now yours.  Connectivism anyone?

Who should be involved in curriculum work? 

With the wide spread use of collaborative web application the question should be why isn’t everyone involved in school curriculum?  Using a wiki or Google Document a district has the power to offer business, industry, universities, and the community at large a chance to make their voice heard.  The real selling point, all of these groups can participate at their leisure. 

I am in the initial stages of trying to use this technology to accomplish similar tasks.  I have authored several Google Documents inviting the key players to collaborate.  Currently I am only dealing with administration and educators with a stake in this particular project, but I am excited about the possibilities.  Wouldn’t it be beneficial to have a virtual mentor that is an expert in the field you are writing for?  How about a representitive from the state agency to explore grant possibilities while making sure that you have the updated standards?  

Will education ever open up enough to let this happen or is this just another idea that would take too much effort?      

Calling all integrators, new and experienced.  I am opening up the Tech Integrators pageflake community to anyone in the field of ed tech.  I welcome your participation and only request an email address to get you involved.

You can PM me at kpruitt@dasd.k12.pa.us.

If you are creating your own, please forward your public “pagecast.”  It would be great to see this come together.  

Check out the page:  http://www.pageflakes.com/kpruitt/11201963

Read what was behind the idea:  http://kpruitt.edublogs.org/2007/06/07/aggregators-as-communities/

I want to thank Dave Cormier for a brillant idea.  Although he was rushed and met with one ill-prepared website, Dave’s presentation at the FOE (Future of Education)  online conference was excellent and could change the way we see the aggregator. 

First, I can’t say that I am a big fan of the online conference.  It’s the blur of a chat room, the bad audio, and sometimes disasterous presentors that keep me watching re-runs rather than participating in real time.  (By the way, thank you to the person that thought of recording and posting presentations.  It’s like TiVo’d education ) However, Dave did it right.  He demonstarted a tool within the context of potential use.

Dave used the aggregator, PageFlakes, as a web portal.  (see it here) He set up each of his ”flakes” to aggregate certain tags (in this case foe2007scm.)  He then encouraged the students to create a blog post or tag a flickr pic.  After a few minutes and a quick page refresh, links started to pour in from the attendees.  I literally sat slack-jawed in my clunky K-Mart recliner.  It was so simple, yet so cool.  

Sure wikis and even expensive web-portals can do similar things but here, right in front of our eyes was a FREE 10 minute answer to keeping everything…and I mean EVERYTHING, in one place.  Just off the top of my head.  This is reseach, assessment, collaboration, community, and even entertainment placed into a nice neat package.

Here are two communities I am working on.  I cannot stress how ease this was.  I hope that I can energize others the way Dave unknowingly energized me.

For teachers at DuBois  http://www.pageflakes.com/kpruitt/11176389   

For PA tech Teachers   http://www.pageflakes.com/kpruitt/11201963

Obviously, I am only working on local items.  I have no idea where this is going nor am I sure what the impact will be.  I can tell you one thing, the success or failure will be clear.  In fact, it will be availble for millions to see. 

I am not going to get into particulars, but during a nice conversation about using web tools in the classroom an interesting comment was posted.  The source, who ironically declines to post a picture,  questioned if using web tools is a step toward killing FTF communication and if we advocate them are we teaching our children that it is okay to ignore the human element?  Hmmm. 

Short answer, no.  I don’t think anyone who cares enough to be a teacher is advocating dropping out of society.

Long answer, this question always seems to be posed when education is involved.  Be it secondary or university is e-learning as good as FTF learning?  Personally, and I may step in it here, I feel that the e-learning I have experienced is and has been more substantial than the 4 years  I spent at a small university in PA.    How can I rationalize such a statement?  Thought you would never ask.

I agree the e-learning is not for everyone.  I am a self-motivated individual that will dive head on into just about anything that catches my interest (keyword).  I like reading, I love learning, and yes, I like that the majority of the time the outcome depends on me.  In my mind, there is no comparison between 8 weeks of on-line grad work and the first 2 years of on-campus undergrad.  During the “gen ed” years of college I was stuck paying 10,000 a year for part-time faculty that wanted to be there less than I did.  I was automatically enrolled in classes to make sure I was ”well-rounded” and was only able to sniff my interests once a semester.  I went from jazzed about running a real TV studio to a careless frat boy 2.0 seconds.  (oh yeah, and back in my day, we had to live in those 8×8 concrete cells, not these 5 room condos they get today) 

Before I go too far, I think what I am trying to say is that there is room for everything, like I said before, balance.  Technology is not going to replace FTF communication.  As human beings we long for connections.  As soon as electronic communications turns personal you know that someday you will meet that person face to face.  With the web we get to seek out exactly what we are interested in.  When I looked into grad programs it was between a $40,000 PSU diploma in curriculum and a $20,000 diploma in technology integration from Walden.  A PSU branch is within walking distance, but they did not have the program for me.   In the past I would have been stuck, but e-learning provides the platform for experts and interested students to connect and focus like never before.  There is no way a rational, educated human being can say that the 2 credit Health course with 800 people is better than an email conversation with an industry leader.   

Heck, we are all going to meet in ATL in just a few weeks and I am excited for that opportunity.  I have ”met” several people that I consider true friends and even though it may take us a few minutes to recognize each other, I guarantee we’ll be laughing and sharing stories in no time. 

Take Care and hug a friend, or as our European pals say, 

Cheers!

Ken  (flickr photo by Bonedad)         

Balance.  In personal life, and in professional life, we all need balance.  Balance in the way we approach, balance in the way present.  Comfort can disguise itself as balance.  Routine is easily misread as “I am doing a great job.”  I have been blown out of my routine both in my personal and professional life.  Personally, the birth of a child has weighted the scales towards extreme exhaustion and has left the counterbalance, mental clarity, dangerously teetering. 

Professionally, my wish has come true and I accepted a new position.  It will be my job to help our teachers prepare our students for the future.  That’s right, little ole’ me attempting the most dangerous job in all of teaching, teaching the teachers.  Of course I am extremely pleased with my new position, but I also realize the choas I just called for in my professional life.  No class schedule, no regular students, NO SUMMER OFF.  What have I done???  

As I sat back and enjoyed the holiday weekend, I was mindful of the battles abroad (My sister leaves in a week, stay safe Traci) and of our battles right here at home.  I am proud of the men and women of military and wish them all God’s speed.  I am also proud of the work we are doing for the education of our children.  As a parent and as a peer, I know that the future of education is in good hands with you folks around.  With your tireless efforts to improve education, you will help provide our students with balance.  I know that some day, God willing, those students will provide our world with it to. 

Hopefully this blog will soon start to take on it’s original intent, to share the journey of technology integration and professional development.  So if you are growing tired of my scatter brained reflection, fret not, soon you will also experience the wonderful world of my scatter brained ideas for technology integration.  I start writing new NETS curriculum June 11th.  Wish me luck.