Further down the trail...Cyber PD #2

Special Thanks to Cathy Mere (July 3), Jill Fisch (July 10) and Laura Komos (July 17)

for hosting the collaborative learning opportunity.

As I moved into reading chapters 3 and 4...I feel like I have put many miles on the trail behind me with lots of learning and still many more miles to go-much learning to do.  Thanks to everyone who's participating in this event with me as you've all touched and inspired me in so many ways...

I am reiterating what I shared in my previous thinking about reading this text digitally.  By reading the book Who Owns the Learning? by Alan November on my Kindle app, I am able to instantly move to the digital links offered within the text.  When I've gone to these links, they've been another resource of information to support the Digital Learning Farm way of thinking.  Two links of think for this section via twitter...1) Why am I not already following @globalearner (Alan November) and 2) Why not connect to Darren Kuropatwa @dkuropatwa since he's got a great handle on what the digital scribe should look like-and I want to know more about how the "digital scribe" looks in the primary classroom.  So, I sent him this tweet:

.@dkuropatwa Do you know of any primary classes who are newbies implementing digital scribe roles defined in Who Owns the Learning? #cyberpd
— Amy Rudd (@aruddteacher100) July 9, 2013

He responded with the following suggestion:

@aruddteacher100 In K-2 classes I suggest using narrated images to create daily scribe posts. For tools see @wfryer's http://t.co/zbBNKsVOB3
— Darren Kuropatwa (@dkuropatwa) July 9, 2013

That led me to the link "Mapping Media to the Common Core" by Wesley Fryer-along with a suggestion as to how it might look in K-2 classes.  When I went  to the link, and you'll probably notice too-go there now if you haven't (I'll wait)... that some of the apps we've read about and discussed as a learning community are found there.  It also took me back to the student as tutorial designer-and at Fryer's site-there are many other options in addition to the video scribe and screen chomp.  The site is chocked full of tons of ideas on how you can take your students and get them creating anything they desire...

A key point that was touched on in chapter 3 is publishing and getting feedback from an audience!  I know first hand how great it feels to get comments and feedback on blogs!  I see this wonderful feedback through two lenses-as a writer (receiving comments on my own blog) and as a teacher (seeing my students connect with other students on their blogs).  An idea that was shared in giving feedback that I connected to was the "star and a wish" idea-which I also follow when conferring-but I call it "two hugs and a push".  Reinforce things done well and add a suggestion for work when next we meet.  Most importantly though-remembering technology growth is not the end point...

This led me to my next link of think...I saw this pin via Pinterest and went in search of the original source:

   

@alicekeeler : Yup. The picture is mine and is licensed CC-A. Here's where you can find it on Flickr: http://t.co/7tMt8omQYe #enjoy
— Bill Ferriter (@plugusin) July 8, 2013

So that led me to think more deeply about what do we want kids doing with technology-which I believe is important in a digital learning age-but the message is clear-it's not just about creating the project as an end to itself-tools should be used to move toward what @plugusin Bill Ferriter is suggesting and what I believe Alan November had in mind when he authored his book...

Technology should move us toward things like raising awareness, joining partners and making a difference. 

As I read chapter 4, student as researcher, the idea of designating one computer as the official research station for the room got me onto another link of think-how many classrooms in the USA-land of the free and home of the brave-have not one computer linked to the internet...I am shocked!

Here is the data via The Institute of Educational Sciences-

In 2009, 97 percent of teachers had one or more computers located in the classroom every day, while 54 percent could bring computers into the classroom. Internet access was available for 93 percent of the computers located in the classroom every day and for 96 percent of the computers that could be brought into the classroom. The ratio of students to computers in the classroom every day was 5.3 to 1.

Teachers reported that they or their students used computers in the classroom during instructional time often (40 percent) or sometimes (29 percent). Teachers reported that they or their students used computers in other locations in the school during instructional time often (29 percent) or sometimes (43 percent).

Teachers reported having the following technology devices either available as needed or in the classroom every day: LCD (liquid crystal display) or DLP (digital light processing) projectors (36 and 48 percent, respectively), interactive whiteboards (28 and 23 percent, respectively), and digital cameras (64 and 14 percent, respectively). Of the teachers with the device available, the percentage that used it sometimes or often for instruction was 72 percent for LCD or DLP projectors, 57 percent for interactive whiteboards, and 49 percent for digital cameras.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2010). Teachers' Use of Educational Technology in U.S. Public Schools: 2009 (NCES 2010-040).

I thought there was less technology out there than the statistics suggest (these are from 2009).  Leading me to think that we've got to start using technology differently.  Which is why I am glad we are having #cyberPD on this book...

To that end...two routines are popping into my mind as I've recently seen both on blogs or twitter...Wonder Wednesdays and Genius Hour.  I am thinking that these times would serve as opportunities for the roles that are suggested in the book to become regular habits where they could serve to move students forward in the roles suggested from the book (tutorial creator, scribe, and researcher-so far). 

Back to the learning trail...