CEDO 565 - Week 1: Follow the Leader

Workhorse

I'm a workhorse. I thrive doing things in the background, preferably uninterrupted so I can just get it done and move on to the next. My rise to Administrator at my current employ is partially due to this. I found things that needed to be done and I did them. I've done this in every position I've had. There you have it. Now I'm stuck because now I know everything and know how to do everything and I'm the one who did it.


Top Down

I'm stuck because my place of employ is mostly a dictatorial oligarchy. I'm often a yes man though sometimes I try to play the king's fool (some kings used the jester to relate to them the true feelings of the people through muse because the king did not have access to this information being isolated and surrounded by aristocracy and yes men). I often compare myself to Radar from M*A*S*H; I run the place without being in charge. I'm also stuck in the middle and those beneath and beside me overestimate my influence.

Just recently, myself and several others in leadership all agreed on an item, based on financial considerations from one perspective. The top however based the decision on a different financial perspective and it was the final word without any further reasonable discussion after I begged to differ.

 

 © Copyright alan fairweather and licensed for reuse under thisCreative Commons Licence

We're too small to protest. What? We want the kids to miss school? No. We just plod along hoping to make lemonade.


Leadership

The survey says .... I'm a structural kind of guy and this is true. I'm not inspirational, placating or diplomatic. I can be a good director and am getting better at trying to delegate. Without rehashing past gripes though, I really haven't had time to lead. I'm still a workhorse, but with a title.

However, there are certain areas, such as technology, where I do have freedom and have lead there where I could. Due to several variables and conditions, I just get to make a choice by myself because there is no team, committee or anyone else remotely qualified to give input. Then I try to lead with my choice. Perhaps through this course I will find avenues to lead that I didn't see on my map before.

CEDO 555: Culminating Experience Project Introduction

Project Video Introduction

 

Where I currently work, there has not been a lot of integrating technology into the classroom for both lack of resources and time on my part. This fall, I hope at least the time I have to work with teachers and technology will change.

I want to introduce reflective blogging to both teachers and students. I chose blogging to begin my classroom technology infusion because the actual technology learning curve is relatively low. Getting both teachers and students into the habit may be a bit harder. Helping teachers assign meaningful weekly topics related to coursework will be important. I will most likely set up the logistical blogging administrative framework so teachers can focus on the blogging, training them only how to administer their classes once set up.

It is also hoped that once blogging becomes the norm, more creative types of media besides text and images can be used down the road to post in the blog with training in other expressive apps. Even though my aim is for reflective blogs, by doing so it may make the introduction of either cummulative or highlight ePortfolios easier in the future.

Foremost for teachers is that they become familiar with the media so they can assist students as well as provide working examples of what is expected from students. Teachers will be posting weekly, reflecting on their use of technology in the classroom, their successes, failures and challenges, both for their own use and for using it in the classroom and for teaching. It is hoped that the teachers participating will gain more confidence in the use of technology in the classroom as well as become peer mentors for others.

Teachers that will be blogging will also have their students doing weekly reflective blogs on class content and topics. It is hoped that student motivation, involvement, learning and retention of subject matter will increase through the use of blogs. Though having the students blog is of equal importance in this project, the outcomes of their blogging is more of an unknown to me whereas my primary focus for this project is to get teachers using technology in the classroom with blogging as a first step and other uses of technology to follow.

CEDO 555 - Post 2: Creative Commons

The question posed was, “How can you implement Creative Commons in the classroom or work situation?”

Before we discuss implementing the use of Creative Commons in the classroom with students, I think we need to step back and begin with some primer material in Media Literacy for teachers first as well as a Media literacy unit in some course or class for students.

Some good places to start are:

• Media Smarts frm Canada http://mediasmarts.ca/ See Intellectual Property
• Center for Social Media http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/ who have published The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education along with some other educational material regarding fair use. Creative Commons also has a page regarding this document.
• Dulcinea Media information regarding Copyrightleft, public domain and fair use as well as the whole finding Dulcinea site in general for great Internet use information and search.
• US Government Fair Use Law
• Educator’s Guide to Copyright, Fair Use ....

The use of Creative Commons will come as a result of first being informed of the issues of intellectual property, plagiarism, copyright, copyleft, fair use, public domain, citing sources and giving credit to works and the like. Activities focused on searching and finding media of all types that are acceptable to use in one form or another are necessary also.

At the same time, students will have to learn and to appreciate the value of their own work.This is a prerequisite to valuing the works of others and respecting any copyrights or attributions. Only then will students feel compelled to adhere to restrictions and guidelines set forth in copyright, fair use and attribution issues.

Of course, teachers must set examples for all of this for it to be effective. the use of Creative Commons media and attributions is just one part of a much larger topic to be addressed.

In using Creative Commons for finding images there is a distinctive skill that must also be taught and learned. When thinking of the image you want, often you have a picture in your mind and that's what you want because it will be perfect for what it is you are doing. However, easier thought than found. Quite often, the image you might be thinking of can be found at a royalty free stock photo site where you pay a fee or subscription. If you are looking for something free on the other hand, you need to be more creative and wise in your search.

First, give up the idea that you must find an image that matches the picture in your mind. (I know, sometimes you really need that Civil War battle scene because that's what you really need. Best of luck finding one you can use. Otherwise...) Think outside the box image. Think about what the feeling, emotion or main message is that you want to get across with the image. Try those words for searching. Try synonyms or two word summaries of those feelings and emotions. Or, think of another image that relates the same feelings or emotions. Example: I was trying to find an image to relate to the word "collaboration". Nothing came up really. "Cooperation"? Nada! How about an image of two people at two different computers? Too dorky and cliché. So I instead thought of "3-legged race", an activity that implied collaboration and cooperation. I found just what I was looking for.

CEDO 555 - Week 1: Under Construction

I can see that it's time to get down and dirty. 

Now our real work begins as we put together our portfolio and have to justify ourselves.

Looking now at what we have to do for this portfolio I've a few thoughts about the MEIT program itself. I don't think we have been adequately prepared to complete our portfolio as best as we could.

I think in the very first course, Succeeding in Online Learning, we should have had a better overview of what we will be doing throughout the program. We should have covered Standards as well as a summary of our portfolios and how the Standards are going to fit into it.

I think in the next couple of courses, we should have spent a little time choosing which Standards we would like to focus on throughout the rest of the program.

If we had known ahead of time that we needed to work on projects that addressed certain standards, we could have planned accordingly as we were doing our projects and work. This would have affected a lot of things. In our portfolio we choose a standard, we have a vision and mission and in essence, will be documenting what we want to become. Having foreknowledge of all of this, I perhaps would have chosen to do some things differently. I would have focused more.

As it stands now, I for one, may struggle a little bit putting together Artifacts for my standards. This may be true to some extent for Artifacts for each course. I perhaps would have geared more projects and work towards what my chosen standard was as well so as to document my expertise within that standard.

ARTIFACTS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

CEDO 550 Week 6: On Line Segment

Taking a look at online learning, on the surface, it seems as though just about all the best practices for face-to-face teaching and learning are the same. What this course highlighted for me was taking a look at how the medium and delivery are different and that different methods and strategies for core principals are needed. As always with the use of any technology, familiarity with the features and limits of specific tools is necessary for effective presentation and use. As I found out during my demo teaching with Collaborate, I was not able to screen share my OpenOffice documents. Had I had a chance to work with Collaborate beforehand I would have known. Luckily, I had a plan B in the wings and was able to show a video demonstration I had prepared of what I wanted to do with the screenshare live. Screensharing over the Internet itself seems to be a bottleneck and probably needs a couple of years for the technology & hardware to catch up.

I don’t know if I’ll ever be an online teacher in a a K-12 school but If I ever get a position as Instructional Technologist/Technology Integration Specialist, I definitely want to conduct some of my teacher training/tutoring online.

Something tells me that full on K-12 online learning will hit a big bubble in the years to come. And then after the studies start getting published we’ll realize that something is wrong. Maybe because nobody did a total radical overhaul of how K-12 online learning should be and what is needed to fill in the gaps to give students everything they need and should have. Will there be the infrastructure in the community for additional/alternative socialization, hands-on and physical activities. Yes, there are these kinds of things already, but often, many are for paying clients. Those who can’t afford will be left out once again. Free education online! Ok! $200 for 3 months of pottery class? Maybe we can afford it next year honey. Also, with the added numbers of online students, will the community infrastructure be able to handle the potential extras? Sorry, soccer league is already full and we can’t find any more coaches. What’s career day like for an online sophomore? Is there a counselor to advise about studying abroad/student exchange junior year? There are potentially lots of little things that happen in traditional schools that I think will be overlooked in the first big round of K-12 online education. Personally, I think that some kind of blended model will be one that works out best as opposed to 100% online.

CEDO 550 Week 5: Fast Forward - online learning

My ouija board tells me that I’ll be working more with teachers directly than students. If I have my way, I’ll be an Instructional Technology Coordinator or a Technology Integration Specialist somewhere. My training will include a website/portal for teacher technology training. I’ll have my teachers get involved in some Personal Professional Development and Personal Learning Networks meaning I’ll give them the tools and resources to start finding and following relevant subject and grade specific information on the web as well as technology information and technology related issues and policies.

I’d also begin formal training face-2-face but would gradually wean them off into holding group, individual, formal and informal help-desk sessions online, even if a teacher might only be two rooms away. This would be so that they will become more and more confident with using technology so they could better help their students regardless of the form or amount of technology use.

The greatest impact this will have is that if my teachers are more prepared to use, interact and teach with technology, they will in turn be better able to help students do the same whether or not it is in an online/blended context or not. Chances are, that at some point in time, many of the students who have a solid grounding in the use of technology for learning will eventually do some online learning because it is becoming more and more prevalent.

CEDO 550 Week 4: Figuring Formative

Formative Assessment Web2.0 + Mobile

I found a students response system about a year ago when I got my first Android phone, Socrative which is a great alternative to expensive clicker systems for student response. I never really investigated it or played with until now and it seems just the right thing. It's built for education , unlike several other audience response systems available on the web and best of all, it's free.

Socrative uses a teacher login to create polls and quizzes. Students log onto the teacher account/vroom using a numerical code - done! There are single question spur of the moment polls as well as pre-made quizzes available and the best is the end of class wrap-up Exit Survey where students are requested to summarize some thoughts on the lesson.

The teacher interface is available through modern browsers, Andriod, iOS and Blackberry. Students may access through a browser or Android device with iOS and Blackberry coming soon. Optimal use scenarios include 1:1 programs, Bring Your Own Device schools or classes held in a computer lab because the program relies on live questioning and answering. As long as the teacher has made a question, quiz or exit survey live, students could also take turns on classroom computers to complete an item throughout the course of the day/period.

Response:

Single stand alone questions will have no name attached to the response and are best used for overall group assessment. Quizes and Exit Surveys will have student names associated with responses making it possible for individualized feedback and action.

Monitor the Response:

Responses are live in real-time and can be projected for all to see via the teacher login if desired. An Excel file of responses can also be downloaded or emailed for further analysis.

Diagnose the Response:

An Excel file of responses can also be downloaded or emailed for analysis.

Share Feedback Based on the Diagnosis:

This step is probably the one that is the most important but least used. For a formative assessment to be effective, students will need to know what's going on, what they are doing well with and what they need work on. Socrative offers no means for giving individual feedback so the teacher must do this by some other method.

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I think with starting out simple and getting into the habit of using such a system, you and your students would gradually develop a good system for formative assessment. With practice, you would begin to start asking questions that address your objectives and in return, find out if those objectives are being met. With regular and consistent use and in turn feedback to students, you would have another tool to help you with formative assessment.