tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82503627933959494612024-02-20T17:08:45.025-05:00innovation3Three Dimensional
Learning...Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-86673670480017044842009-09-14T19:59:00.001-04:002009-09-14T20:57:48.371-04:00CCK09 September 14, 2009 Elluminate Session<iframe frameborder="0" height="550px" scrolling="no" src="http://www.coveritlive.com/index2.php/option=com_altcaster/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=38770043a0/height=550/width=440" width="440px">&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;altcast_code=38770043a0" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;CCK09 September 14, 2009 Elluminate Session&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;</iframe>Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-40254373092149939832008-07-12T07:18:00.003-04:002008-07-14T05:39:27.523-04:00New Blog at innovation3.edublogs.orgI have moved my posts and comments to <a href="http://innovation3.edublogs.org/">innovation3.edublogs.org</a>. If it works out, I will remain there. If not, I will return to blogspot.<br /><br />DennisDennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-72280049541949438802008-07-02T05:45:00.002-04:002008-07-02T05:52:14.808-04:00The Peace Train is with Us: Web 2.0?On Sunday I was lying on sunny, warm, refreshing Grape Bay Beach, Bermuda listening to my MP3 player. My wife, daughter, her husband and their eighteen month old son Michael were with me. Some of you may remember the song I was listening to that, when I first heard it in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Train">1971</a> caused a "gust of hope" to rise up in me. I still get that feeling today. It seems that hope springs eternal.<br /><br />I Googled the song and discovered that it had been sung in 2006 at a concert to honor the "Banker to the Poor," Muhammad Yunus, who received 1/2 of the Nobel Peace Prize. The other half was shared with Grameen Bank. From the <a href="http://tinyurl.com/yq9phv">Nobel Prize</a> site...<br /><blockquote> Professor Muhammad Yunus established the <a href="http://tinyurl.com/3wdth4">Grameen Bank</a> in Bangladesh in 1983, fueled by the belief that credit is a fundamental human right. His objective was to help poor people escape from poverty by providing loans on terms suitable to them and by teaching them a few sound financial principles so they could help themselves. <p>From Dr. Yunus' personal loan of small amounts of money to destitute basketweavers in Bangladesh in the mid-70s, the Grameen Bank has advanced to the forefront of a burgeoning world movement toward eradicating poverty through microlending. Replicas of the Grameen Bank model operate in more than 100 countries worldwide.</p></blockquote><p></p>To learn more about Dr. Yunus, Grameen Bank, and other Nobel related resources, check out the <a href="http://tinyurl.com/4qqo7b">Nobel video site</a>.<br /><br />The song I was listening to on the beach was <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Peace Train</span> by Cat Stevens, who later changed his name to Yusuf Islam. Stevens said<br /><blockquote>Peace Train' is a song I wrote, the message of which continues to breeze thunderously through the hearts of millions. There is a powerful need for people to feel that gust of hope rise up again. As a member of humanity and as a Muslim, this is my contribution....</blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Peace Train</span><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q7iLPnDCQ1g&hl=en"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q7iLPnDCQ1g&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br />Now I've been happy lately<br />Thinking about the good things to come<br />And I believe it could be<br />Something good has begun<br />I've been smiling lately<br />Dreaming about the world as one<br />And I believe it could be<br />Something good's bound to come<br /><br />For out on the edge of darkness<br />There runs the peace train<br />Peace train take this country<br />Come take me home again<br /><br />Peace train sounding louder<br />Ride on the peace train<br />Hoo-ah-eeh-ah-hoo-ah<br />Come on the peace train<br />Peace train's a holy roller<br />Everyone jump upon the peace train<br />Hoo-ah-eeh-ah-hoo-ah<br />This is the peace train<br /><br />Get your bags together<br />Come bring your good friends too<br />Because it's getting nearer<br />Soon it will be with you<br />Come and join the living<br />It's not so far from you<br />And it's getting nearer<br />Soon it will all be true<br /><br />Peace train sounding louder<br />Ride on the peace train<br />Hoo-ah-eeh-ah-hoo-ah<br />Come on the peace train<br /><br />I've been crying lately<br />Thinking about the world as it is<br />Why must we go on hating?<br />Why can't we live in bliss?<br /><br />For out on the edge of darkness<br />There rides the peace train<br />Peace train take this country<br />Come take me home again<br /><br />Peace train sounding louder<br />Ride on the peace train<br />Hoo-ah-eeh-ah-hoo-ah<br />Come on the peace train<br /><br />Come on, come on, come on the peace train...Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-51365412925066525712008-07-01T06:07:00.011-04:002008-12-10T01:51:08.941-05:00"Give stuff away and see what happens!"Alan Levine, Cog Dog Blog, posted a lovely argument for sharing on the internet, <a href="http://cogdogblog.com/2008/07/01/lovely-photo-derivatives/">Lovely Photo Devivatives</a>.<br /><blockquote>...what is more interesting, uplifting, is the magic that happens when you give something away, when you don’t attach statements of what you cannot do with media you’ve created, but attach statements of what you can do.</blockquote>He goes on to tell the story of friends, Jim and Susan, who used Alan's photos to develop artistic interests. He shared; they produced works of art derived from the photos. The pastels <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SGoQh2pJt0I/AAAAAAAAAIU/YOEvd3o5XV4/s1600-h/CogDogFlower+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SGoQh2pJt0I/AAAAAAAAAIU/YOEvd3o5XV4/s200/CogDogFlower+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218001292051986242" border="0" /></a>Susan created are beautiful and presented in the post for us to enjoy along with the original photos. It seems to me that no one lost out in that transaction. The bargaining involved is elemental, something fundamentally human. It represents the best of what we can offer to the planet, and our future as a planet can be secured if we can figure out how to mine this simple treasure.<br /><br />Sharing is a CORE VALUE for Web 2.0. It caught my attention as I began my visits eleven months to the learning spaces, ubiquitous on the Internet. Web 2.0 with sharing is selfless; Web 2.0 without it is selfish, and, for me<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SGoQuL7ILKI/AAAAAAAAAIc/Aa6eF-xMhus/s1600-h/CogDogFlower2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SGoQuL7ILKI/AAAAAAAAAIc/Aa6eF-xMhus/s200/CogDogFlower2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218001503922957474" border="0" /></a> something less free and organic. I hope we can protect and preserve this quality forever. If you agree, then it's logical to ask what challenges that value and how do we counter it?<br /><br />I think the biggest challenge to the three Web 2.0 C's (collaboration, cooperation, and creation) is contained in one's answer to the question I came across in the blogosphere:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SGoQ3j7ud3I/AAAAAAAAAIk/rSMLWY-HRxc/s1600-h/CogDogCactus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SGoQ3j7ud3I/AAAAAAAAAIk/rSMLWY-HRxc/s200/CogDogCactus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218001664986740594" border="0" /></a>How can I make a living in a Web 2.0 world? How do you answer the question and does your answer challenge or protect and preserve sharing?<br /><br />I take a lot of pictures, but I have not yet developed the habit of uploading them to Flickr. Cog Dog's post has caused me to think I want to begin learning how to do that. That's sharing too. Thanks Cog Dog.Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-63591919908361936142008-06-27T20:35:00.015-04:002008-12-10T01:51:09.766-05:00Four Double Six Six Four - 46664<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SGWMVHzbimI/AAAAAAAAAIM/eD5fK0EcQpM/s1600-h/46664+-+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SGWMVHzbimI/AAAAAAAAAIM/eD5fK0EcQpM/s200/46664+-+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216730037878491746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><br />Nelson Mandela's 90th Birthday Celebration ~ London, UK<br /><br />It's in Our Hands<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;"><br />A Number Worth Thinking About....</span></span></span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.46664.com/1">46664 Home</a><br /><a href="http://www.46664global.com/home.seam">46664 Global Community</a><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" ><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">This post is dedicated to <a href="http://wearejustlearning.ca/">Sharon Peters</a> who will be arriving in Cape Town, South Africa tomorrow beginning her mission of education in Africa.</span></span><br /><p>46664 is an African response to the global HIV AIDS epidemic that invites the whole world to take the fight in hand. It's our aim to raise awareness overall and educate the younger generations in particular. By gaining global backing for the cause, we will also raise funds to directly assist the many HIV AIDS projects we support. We intend to do this by using our international ambassadors to spread our messages of hope, our calls to action, our pleas for compassion and our requests for assistance and support for those living with HIV AIDS.</p> <p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SGWMNbszl2I/AAAAAAAAAIE/e6TKt-c2DFk/s1600-h/46664+-+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SGWMNbszl2I/AAAAAAAAAIE/e6TKt-c2DFk/s200/46664+-+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216729905780463458" border="0" /></a>46664 (we say four, double six, six four) was Nelson Mandela's prison number when he was imprisoned on Robben Island, off Cape Town in South Africa. He was jailed in 1964 for 27 years for leading the liberation movement against apartheid and for his impassioned stance on the rights of everyone to live in freedom. He was prisoner number 466, imprisoned in 1964. The Robben Island prisoners were never referred to by their names, but rather by their numbers and year of imprisonment - hence 46664 was Nelson Mandela's number.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SGWMFGdqcHI/AAAAAAAAAH8/TikorEawcFo/s1600-h/46664+-+.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SGWMFGdqcHI/AAAAAAAAAH8/TikorEawcFo/s200/46664+-+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216729762640851058" border="0" /></a></p> <p>This was very much the strategy of the apartheid regime, to reduce those people fighting for the right to freedom to nameless numbers.</p> <p>It was for precisely this reason that Mr. Mandela decided to use this powerful, symbolic number in the fight against HIV AIDS. Through this simple, poignant means he has demonstrated and communicated to the world that people must never be reduced to simple numbers - we are human beings, all equal, and those infected and living with HIV AIDS have the same right to live and to be treated as equals.</p> <p>This is how the number 46664 became the icon for promoting Nelson Mandela's global HIV AIDS awareness campaign.</p><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hCXsaJI-bro"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hCXsaJI-bro" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><a href="http://www.46664global.com/home.seam"></a>Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-35007572592856607502008-06-26T09:34:00.011-04:002008-12-10T01:51:10.280-05:00For Children in Massachusetts Today is a New Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SGOigf2Xy4I/AAAAAAAAAHk/CwwLRPbMZtE/s1600-h/Readiness+Announcement+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SGOigf2Xy4I/AAAAAAAAAHk/CwwLRPbMZtE/s320/Readiness+Announcement+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216191472614230914" border="0" /></a>It has taken ten years of advocacy by colleagues throughout Massachusetts to achieve this reform package. I am proud of the role <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">MASCD</span> has played in shaping the agenda. Working together with hundreds of educators, business leaders, parents and politicians, we have come to a new day for children. The power to transform is with us; let us use it wisely. "It's about all the kids!"<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">(Note: Pay particular attention to </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Goal 4: Innovation and Systemic Reform to Create a 21st Century Public Education System) </span><span style="font-size:85%;">Technical Help Request: Please comment on how to anchor this to the goal 4 section below if you know how. Thanks</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><br />Below is a communication I received from a colleague of mine in Massachusetts. I am the President of the Massachusetts Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development <a href="http://www.mascd.org/">(<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">MASCD</span>)</a> and Mary Forte Hayes is the Executive Director. Yesterday Mary was at the Kennedy Library when Governor <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Deval</span> Patrick announced the next generation of education reform. The last major educational reform in Massachusetts was in 1993.<br /><br /><blockquote>Dear Colleagues,<br /><br />It was an exciting day today (June 25, 2008) at the Kennedy Library, a perfect setting for the launch of a visionary plan for education in the Commonwealth. I was there, as were many education and policy leaders and friends of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">MASCD</span>. The Governor unveiled his vision for education, which is a call to completely redesign the system as we know it. He kept repeating “Today is a new day,” with good effect, and with the backdrop of the wall of windows onto the blue sky and water of Boston harbor framing the skyline. The Governor stressed many times, as did Secretary of Education-designate Paul <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Reville</span>, that “all children” means ALL. Paul <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Reville</span> recapped details of the 10 year plan that have been shared over the past 2 days. There are some very bold actions included. They are consistent with our priorities and well-aligned with the <a href="http://www.wholechildeducation.org/">Whole Child</a> compact. See summary below, which I have taken from the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (<a href="http://www.mbae.org/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">MBAE</span>)</a>. Thanks to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">MBAE</span> for the timely summary.<br /><br />Mary Forte Hayes</blockquote><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ready for 21st Century Success</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />The New Promise of Public Education</span></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />Acknowledging that our schools "must ensure that high school graduates know and are capable of much more than ever before", this report calls for transforming public schools over the next decade to meet the needs of current and future realities rather than perpetuate past practices that did not prepare all students for the demands of higher education and a technologically driven economy. With an unequivocal commitment to eliminating disadvantages based on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">socio</span>-economic status, the proposed reform strategy focuses on four challenges:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >International competition and an outdated curriculum</span><br /><br />- Massachusetts must shift its focus from a 20<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">th</span> century approach to teaching to a modern curriculum that includes 21st century themes such as global and cultural competency, financial literacy, and other applied skills as well as strengthening content ranging from math, science, and world languages to social sciences and the arts.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A stubborn achievement gap</span> - This can only be closed by acknowledging that children have different needs based on the advantages and obstacles they encounter outside of school. Public education must be coordinated with other social and health services so all children can meet high standards.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">An education workforce crisis </span>- Student achievement depends on teacher quality. The teaching profession has to be promoted as the critical and valuable vocation that it is in order to attract and retain outstanding candidates. The system for preparing, supporting and evaluating teachers must be comprehensively re-designed.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SGOivA-F1rI/AAAAAAAAAHs/-DPjbiOO2cc/s1600-h/Readiness+Announcement+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SGOivA-F1rI/AAAAAAAAAHs/-DPjbiOO2cc/s320/Readiness+Announcement+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216191722023147186" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A century-old system </span>- The system of standards and accountability instituted in 1993 has brought us far, but reaching the goal of bringing all students to proficiency requires a new, individualized approach. In an economy where the same skills are needed for college and for jobs at family-sustaining wages, it will take new, differentiated approaches to give all students what they need to succeed.<br /><a href="http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=gov3terminal&L=5&L0=Home&L1=Key+Priorities&L2=World-Class+Education+-+The+Readiness+Project&L3=The+Commonwealth+Readiness+Project&L4=Reports+and+Updates&sid=Agov3&b=terminalcontent&f=key_priorities_readiness_report&csid=Agov3"><br />Read the Full Report</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >Four Goals of Action Agenda</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Putting Children's Learning Needs First</span><br /><br />For each goal, the Patrick Administration has identified what will be achieved in the short (by 2011), mid (by 2015), and long(by 2020) terms to reach the stated vision. Details can be found at: <a href="http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=gov3modulechunk&L=1&L0=Home&sid=Agov3&b=terminalcontent&f=features_2008-06-23_ready1&csid=Agov3">http://www.mass.gov/governor/education </a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Goal 1: Raising Student Achievement</span><br /><br />Key short term goals include increased support for early childhood education; an inter-agency Child and Youth Readiness cabinet; a pilot drop out prevention and intervention program for urban districts; Student Support Coordinators to link services for students in low-income schools; and a statewide data system that will provide a "Readiness Passport" to document all education and social service experiences received by every child.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Goal 2: Teachers and Education Leaders - Supported and Effective Educators</span><br /><br />By 2011, establish differentiated pay for high-need locations and disciplines; pilot intensive induction and mentoring for new teachers; establish <a href="http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=gov3pressrelease&L=1&L0=Home&sid=Agov3&b=pressrelease&f=080624_education_reform2&csid=Agov3">Readiness Science and Math Teaching Fellowship</a> to increase supply of teachers in these fields; accelerate development of "real time" assessment data to support instruction; strengthen <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">MCAS</span> requirement with complementary measures of student growth and 21st century skills; build state capacity to attract and retain a highly competent, culturally diverse teaching force. Mid- and long-term actions would strengthen teacher preparation in several different ways and provide support for continued improvement at all education levels.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SGOi48g5lhI/AAAAAAAAAH0/i5J4d2h3m5g/s1600-h/Readiness+Announcement+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SGOi48g5lhI/AAAAAAAAAH0/i5J4d2h3m5g/s320/Readiness+Announcement+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216191892625659410" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Goal 3: College, Career and Life Success</span><br /><br />In addition to integrating 21st century skills into all aspects of public education; needs based financial aid would be increased; offer community college opportunities to early childhood educators and income-eligible parents; provide accelerated graduation and early college opportunities; allow in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants; build a school-to-college web portal; offer college readiness assessments to high school juniors; and guarantee transfer credit among public colleges and universities. In the longer term, additional initiatives to increase work and college readiness will be implemented, in some cases focused on students with specific needs.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Goal 4: Innovation and Systemic Reform to Create a 21st Century Public Education System</span><br /><br />The Readiness School concept which has received much press attention is part of this goal, which would also establish a <a href="http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=gov3pressrelease&L=1&L0=Home&sid=Agov3&b=pressrelease&f=080623_education_reform&csid=Agov3">Readiness Finance Commission</a> to recommend cost savings and efficiencies, potential sources of revenue, and options for a complete overhaul of the state's education finance system. Other key features of this goal are expanding learning time both during out-of-school time and the summer; establishing a public-private Commonwealth Education Innovation Fund to foster innovation; expand student access to online learning; and provide other incentives and programs to use technology to improve teaching and learning.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=gov3modulechunk&L=1&L0=Home&sid=Agov3&b=terminalcontent&f=features_2008-06-23_ready1&csid=Agov3">Links</a> to Subcommittee Reports and Video of Announcements<br />Above summary provided by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">MBAE</span>, email of 6-25-08.Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-36388344664748879332008-06-20T06:05:00.002-04:002008-06-20T06:12:37.933-04:00K12 Online Conference 08 Proposals: July 11, 2008 Deadline<h2 class="post_name" id="post-221"><span style="font-size:100%;">Republished Post from K12 Online Conference 2008</span></h2><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >As requested: Please duplicate this post and distribute it far and wide across the blogosphere. Feel free to republish it on your own blog (actually, we’d really like people to do that <img src="http://k12onlineconference.org/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";-)" class="wp-smiley" /> )....</span></span><br /><br /><h2 class="post_name" id="post-221"><span style="font-size:100%;">Second Call for Proposals</span></h2> <div class="post_meta"><span style="font-size:100%;"> By <a href="http://k12onlineconference.org/?author=403" title="Posts by dshareski">dshareski</a> </span><span class="dot" style="font-size:100%;">⋅</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> June 15, 2008 </span> </div> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >This is our second call for proposals for the third annual “K12 Online Conference” for educators around the world interested in the use of Web 2.0 tools in classrooms and professional practice. We’ve made two changes to the inital call so please take note. </span></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >This year’s conference is scheduled for October 20-24 and October 27-31 of 2008, and will include a pre-conference keynote during the week of October 13. The conference theme for 2008 is <span style="font-weight: bold;">“Amplifying Possibilities.”</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >Participation in the conference (as in the past) is entirely free. Conference materials are published in English and available for worldwide distribution and use under a Creative Commons license. Some changes in the requirements for presentations are being made this year and are detailed</span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > below. <span style="font-weight: bold;">The deadline for proposal submission has been extended to July 11, 2008.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong><a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=pJr8kRb5us1ZBOwub2u9qOQ">Call for Proposal Submission Form</a></strong></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" ><strong>OVERVIEW:</strong> </span></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >As in past years, K12 Online 2008 will feature four “conference strands,” two each week. Two presentations will be published in each strand each day, Monday through Friday, so four new presentations will be available each day over the course of the two weeks. Including the pre-conference keynote, a total of 41 presentations will be published. Each twenty minute (or less) presentation will be shared online in a downloadable format and released simultaneously via the conference blog (<a href="http://www.k12onlineconference.org/">www.k12onlineconference.org</a>,) the <a href="http://twitter.com/k12online">conference Twitter account</a>, and the conference audio and video podcast channels. All presentations will be archived online for posterity. A total of 82 past presentations are currently available from <a href="http://k12onlineconference.org/docs/k12online06-agenda.html">K12 Online 2006</a> and <a href="http://k12onlineconference.org/docs/k12online2007schedule.html">K12 Online 2007</a>. If you are planning to submit a proposal, please review archived presentations from past years to determine what you might offer that is new and builds on previous work. A variety of live events will also be planned during and following the weeks of the conference.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><em><strong><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >Please make note that we have moved the “Prove It” strand to Week 1 and the “Kicking it up a Notch” strand to Week 2. </span></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" ><strong>FOUR STRANDS:</strong> </span></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" ><strong><em>Week 1</em></strong></span></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" ><strong>Strand A: Prove it</strong></span></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >Although some teachers are excited to “amplify possibilities” using computer technologies, Web 2.0 tools, and 21st Century learning strategies in their classrooms, how do we know if these innovative instructional strategies are really working? Since information technologies and emerging brain research continue to rapidly evolve and change, it is challenging as well as vital to find current, meaningful research to undergird the learning initiatives we are using in our classrooms. What are “best practices” for teaching and learning with the new participatory media? This strand will share research results from the field that support students in using knowledge to communicate, collaborate, analyze, create, innovate, build community and solve problems. In addition, successful methods for developing and/or delivery of action research projects or research-based instruction in today’s digital world will be explored. In some cases, participants may be invited to participate in ongoing or beginning research on Web 2.0 tool use, constructivist pedagogy, or other 21st Century research issues.</span></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" > Educational research about emerging professional development strategies, contemporary learning theory, systemic school reform, and other current themes of educational change are also appropriate for inclusion in this strand.</span></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >Help us to examine such research questions as: </span></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" > o </span></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >What does research in learning science, instructional design, informal learning, and other fields tell us about today’s learner and their success?</span></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" > o What design features must teachers incorporate into their instructional activities to support meaningful learning?</span></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" > o What is the role of assessment in today’s changing classroom? How should assessment be structured to meaningfully assess student achievement in the context of the modern classroom?</span></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Strand B: Getting Started</span></span></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >Everything you wanted to know about getting started with web 2.0 technologies for learning but were afraid to ask. The presentations in this strand will focus on specific, free tools for newcomers. Whether you have one classroom computer or a laptop for every student, digital technologies can provide new opportunities to connect with other learners, create new and exciting knowledge products, and engage students in an expanded learning process beyond the traditional “boundaries of the bell.” Teachers first introduced to Web 2.0 tools are often unaware of the new possibilities for teaching and learning afforded by the Read/Write Web. Presentations in this strand will amplify and model what is possible in terms of pedagogy, student creation of content, and collaboration. Practical classroom implementation ideas will be emphasized. Presentations will focus more on the ways new tools can be used to engage students in learning, rather than focusing exclusively on how specific tools are used. If you’ve ever felt like everyone else knows more than you about teaching with technology and you need help getting started, this is the strand for you.</span></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" ><em>Week 2</em></span></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" ><strong>Strand B: Leading the Change</strong></span></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >Innovative approaches to teaching and learning using web 2.0 tools are often utilized by a limited number of “early adopter” teachers in our schools. This strand seeks to amplify ways educators in a variety of contexts are serving as constructive catalysts for broad-based pedagogic change using Web 2.0 technologies as well as student-centered, project-based approaches to learning. Presentations in this strand will both showcase successful strategies as well as amplify critical issues which must be addressed for innovative learning methods to be adopted by teachers, librarians, and administrators on a more widespread basis. These issues may include (but are not limited to) issues of copyright, fair use and intellectual property, Internet content filtering, student privacy and safety issues, administrator expectations for teacher utilization of Web 2.0 tools, pilot initiatives utilizing key Web 2.0 technologies in different content areas, and innovative ways students and teachers are providing just-in-time support as well as formal learning opportunities for each other focusing on Web 2.0 tools. Successful approaches for both large and small schools, in rural as well as urban settings, will be included.</span></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" > This strand will explore and amplify a menu of practical ideas for educators in diverse contexts who want to continue amplifying possibilities in our schools.</span></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Strand B: Kicking It Up a Notch</span></span></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >You’ve been using blogs, wikis and other technologies for awhile but perhaps haven’t seen them transform your classroom and the learning environment for your students in the ways you think they can. This strand amplifies ways new technologies can be used to transform classroom and personal learning. Rather than merely replicating traditional, analog-based learning tasks, how can digital technologies permit teacher-leaders to “infomate” learning to add greater interactivity, personal differentiation, and multi-modal exploration of curriculum topics? Fresh new approaches to using Web 2.0 tools for learning and authentic assessment will be highlighted. Presentations will explore innovative ways Web 2.0 tools can be blended together to help students create, collaborate, and share the knowledge safely on the global stage of the Internet. Maybe it’s time to share your insights and experiences with your teaching community. Join these sessions to gain insights on amplifying the possibilities of learning in your classroom and/or your professional practice.</span></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" ><strong>CALL FOR PROPOSALS: </strong></span></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >This call encourages all educators, both experienced and novice with respect to Web 2.0 learning tools, to submit proposals to present at this conference</span></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" > <a href="http://tinyurl.com/6s8l5c">via this link</a>. Take this opportunity to share your successes, strategies, and tips in “amplifying the possibilities” of web 2.0 powered learning in one of the four conference strands.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong><span style=";font-family:Arial;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >The deadline for proposal submissions is</span></span></strong></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;"> <a href="http://www.worldtimeserver.com/convert_time_in_UTC.aspx?y=2008&mo=6&d=23&h=0&mn=0">June 23, 2008 at midnight GMT</a>.</span> You will be contacted no later than July 2, 2008 regarding your proposal’s status<span style=";font-family:Arial;" >. </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >The conveners reserve to right to reposition a presentation in another strand if they believe it is best placed elsewhere. As in past years, conveners will utilize blind review committees to evaluate all submissions.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Presentations for K12Online08 must conform to the following requirements:</span></span></p> <ol><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Presentations must be a single media file of twenty minutes or less in length.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Presentations must be submitted in a downloadable and convertable file format (mp3, mov, WMV, FLV, m4a, or m4v.) Presenters wanting to use an alternative format should contact their respective strand convener in advance.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Presentations are due two weeks prior to the week the relevant strand begins. (Week 1 presentations are due Monday, October 6, Week 2 presentations are due Monday, October 13.)</span></span></li><li><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >Presentations must be submitted only one time and on time. Early submissions are welcomed! Repeat submissions (with changes and additional edits) will not be accepted. Presenters should proof carefully before submitting!</span></li><li><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >All presentations will be shared under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license</a>.</span></span></li></ol> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">The following are optional but encouraged presentation elements:</span></span></p> <ol><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Prior to September 13th, presenters are invited to submit a “teaser” (maximum video or audio file length: 3 minutes) about their presentation. This can be any type of online artifact and does not have to be downloadable. Examples may include videos, animations, posters, audio interviews, etc.</span></span></li></ol> <ul><li> <ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">In addition to marketing the presentation, teasers can be designed to encourage and solicit community input related to the presentation topic in advance of the presentation submission deadline.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">View teaser examples from 2007 at <a href="http://k12online07.wikispaces.com/Teasers">http://k12online07.wikispaces.com/Teasers</a></span></span></li></ul> </li></ul> <ol><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Supplementary materials supporting presentations are welcomed. These can be wikis with supporting material links, linked examples of student projects, school district exemplary initiatives, social bookmarking collections, and/or other related content.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:Arial;">Follow-up projects and/or live interaction opportunities for conference presentations which further amplify the possibilities of the presentation topic may be included. (This can include sharing and building of content prior to, during and after the conference.)</span></span></li></ol> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >As you draft your proposal, you may wish to consider the presentation topics listed below which were suggested in the comments on the <a href="http://k12onlineconference.org//?p=82#comments">K-12 Online Conference Blog</a>:</span></span></p> <ul><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" > <li>Special needs education</li> <li>Creative Commons, Intellectual Property, Copyright and Fair Use</li> <li>Student voices</li> <li>Community involvement</li> <li>Games in education</li> <li>Specific ideas, tips, mini lessons centered on pedagogical use of web 2.0 tools</li> <li>Overcoming institutional inertia and resistance</li> <li>Aligning Web 2.0 and other projects to national standards</li> <li>Getting your message across</li> <li>How Web 2.0 can assist those with disabilities</li> <li>ePortfolios</li> <li>Classroom 2.0 activities at the elementary level</li> <li>Teacher/peer collaboration</li> <li>Authentic assessment</li> <li>Overcoming content filtering issues</li> <li>Navigating “open web” versus “closed web” publishing of student work</li> </span></span></ul> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >Prospective presenters are reminded that the audience of the K12 Online Conference is global in nature and diverse in their educational context. For this reason presentations and presentation materials which address issues from a variety of perspectives are welcomed.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >EVALUATION</span></strong></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >Acceptance decisions will be made based on RELEVANCE, SIGNIFICANCE, ORIGINALITY, QUALITY, and CLARITY. Borrowing from the <a href="http://cosl.usu.edu/events/opened2008/call-for-papers">COSL 2008 call for proposals</a>:</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >A submission is RELEVANT when</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > - it directly addresses the conference and strand themes</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > A submission is SIGNIFICANT when</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > - it raises and discusses issues important to improving the effectiveness and/or sustainability of 21st Century teaching and learning efforts, and</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > - its contents can be broadly (globally) disseminated and understood</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > A submission is ORIGINAL when</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > - it addresses a new problem or one that hasn’t been studied in depth,</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > - it has a novel combination of existing research results which promise new insights, and / or</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > - it provides a perspective on problems different from those explored before</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > A submission is of HIGH QUALITY when</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > - existing literature is drawn upon, and / or</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > - claims are supported by sufficient data, and / or</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > - an appropriate methodology is selected and properly implemented, and / or</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > - limitations are described honestly</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > A submission is CLEARLY WRITTEN when</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > - it is organized effectively, and / or</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > - the English is clear and unambiguous, and / or</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > - it follows standard conventions of punctuation, mechanics, and citation, and / or</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > - the readability is good</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>NB: </strong>All proposals will be vetted by blind peer review committees. All decisions made by the blind peer review committees are final.</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" ><strong>KEYNOTES: </strong></span></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >The first presentation in each strand will kick off with a keynote by a well known educator who is distinguished and knowledgeable in the context of their strand. Watch for our announcement of Keynote presenters in the next few days.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong><span style=";font-family:Arial;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >CONVENERS:</span></span></strong></span></p> <ul><li> <ul><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" > <li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Darren Kuropatwa is currently Department Head of Mathematics at Daniel Collegiate Institute in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is known internationally for his ability to weave the use of online social tools meaningfully and concretely into his pedagogical practice. Darren’s professional blog is called A Difference (</span><a href="http://adifference.blogspot.com%29./">http://adifference.blogspot.com).</a><span style="font-weight: normal;"> He will convene <span style="font-weight: bold;">Getting Started</span></span>.</li> </span></span></ul> </li></ul> <ul><li> <ul><li><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >Dean Shareski is a Digital Learning Consultant for Prairie South School Division in Saskatchewan, Canada. Dean is an advocate for the use of social media in the classroom. To that end he works with teachers and students in exploring ways to make learning relevant, authentic and engaging. He also is a part time sessional lecturer for the University of Regina. He is celebrating his 20th year as an educator. Dean blogs at (<a href="http://ideasandthoughts.org%29./">http://ideasandthoughts.org).</a> Dean will convene <strong>Kicking It Up A Notch</strong>.</span></li></ul> </li></ul> <ul><li> <ul><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" > <li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sheryl Nusbaum-Beach, a 20-year educator, has been a classroom teacher, charter school principal, district administrator, and digital learning consultant. She currently serves as an adjunct faculty member teaching preservice teachers at The College of William and Mary (Virginia, USA), where she is in the dissertation phase of completing her doctorate in educational planning, policy and leadership. As the cofounder of the Powerful Learning Practice Network she helps schools and teachers from around the world use community as a powerful tool for systemic change. You can find out more on her website at </span><a href="http://www.21stcenturycollaborative.com./">www.21stcenturycollaborative.com.</a><span style="font-weight: normal;"> She will convene</span> <strong>Prove It</strong>.</li> </span></span></ul> </li></ul> <ul><li> <ul><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" > <li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Wesley Fryer is an educator, author, digital storyteller and change agent. He summarizes his ongoing work with educators and students in social media environments with the statement, “I’m here for the learning revolution.” His blog, “Moving at the Speed of Creativity” was selected as the 2006 “Best Learning Theory Blog” by eSchoolnews and Discovery Education. Social media sites to which Wes contributes are listed on <a href="http://claimid.com/wfryer">http://claimid.com/wfryer</a></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" ><span style="font-weight: normal;">. Wes will convene</span></span></span> <strong>Leading the Change</strong>.</li> </span></span></ul> </li></ul> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" ><strong>QUESTIONS?</strong></span></span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >If you have any questions about any part of this call for proposals, please contact one of us:</span></span></p> <ul><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" > <li>Darren Kuropatwa: dkuropatwa {at} gmail {dot} com</li> <li>Sheryl Nusbaum-Beach: snbeach {at} cox {dot} net</li> <li>Dean Shareski: shareski{at} gmail{dot} com</li> <li>Wesley Fryer: wesfryer {at} pobox {dot} com</li> </span></span></ul> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" >Please duplicate this post and distribute it far and wide across the blogosphere. Feel free to republish it on your own blog (actually, we’d really like people to do that <img src="http://k12onlineconference.org/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";-)" class="wp-smiley" /> ) or link back to this post (published simultaneously on all our blogs).</span></span></p> <span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;" > <li>Conference Tag: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/k12online08">k12online08</a></li> </span></span>Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-67673268203571671142008-06-12T06:08:00.009-04:002008-12-10T01:51:10.479-05:00What's your mission?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SFD3-d1voJI/AAAAAAAAAGw/xvYnCwIpjWQ/s1600-h/What%27s+your+mission%3F.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SFD3-d1voJI/AAAAAAAAAGw/xvYnCwIpjWQ/s400/What%27s+your+mission%3F.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210937421401661586" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />~~~~ I turned this photo I took at a presentation by Rick DuFour on Professional Learning Communities into this poster using Motivator, a web tool I learned about from Doug Johnson at <a href="http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/">The Blue Skunk Blog</a>.<br /><br />Here's Doug's <a href="http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/blue-skunk-blog/2008/5/31/mixed-messages.html">post/poster</a> where he introduced me to Motivator: Motivational Text ~ Seriously, would you quit drinking?Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-21269115406116803912008-06-11T21:28:00.019-04:002008-06-11T23:09:06.074-04:00Apple's iPhone 3G Introduced: Apple & Microsoft Face Off & You Compare<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />WWDC 2008 Keynote Address</span><br /><br />Watch Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveil iPhone 3G, the App Store, MobileMe, and more in his Worldwide Developers Conference keynote address from San Francisco's Moscone West. See the video-on-demand (VOD) event at this <a href="http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/0806wdt546x/event/index.html">website</a>, exclusively in QuickTime and MPEG-4.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Microsoft's History and Future in 3:40 Minutes</span><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/mmedia/player/wpniplayer_viral.swf?thisObj=fo321420&vid=060508-3v_title" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="allowFullScreen=true&initVideoId=&servicesURL=http://www.brightcove.com&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://www.brightcove.com&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&autoStart=false" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" id="fo321420" name="fo321420" allowfullscreen="false" allowscriptaccess="always" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swliveconnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" height="305" width="454"></embed>Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-49264359841053479052008-06-11T20:39:00.006-04:002008-06-11T21:45:03.303-04:00Scholastic’s “2008 Kids & Family Reading Report- Reading in the 21st Century: Turning the Page with Technology"Thanks to Wesley Fryer's post, <a href="http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2008/06/11/online-kids-are-readers/">Online kids are readers!</a>, I learned about Scholastic's reading report and about <a href="www.readthewords.com">www.readthewords.com</a>, a free website that allows me to upload a document that Read the Words then processes and reads back to me. I can turn it into an mp3 file or podcast that I can then post to my blog, wiki or website and sit back while the report is read to me in a voice I select. Enjoy this demo; you can download the PDF file of the report from the innovation3 box in the left column, courtesy of <a href="www.box.net">www.box.net</a>.<br /><iframe src="http://www.readthewords.com/embed/1044053057PM_Read_tthe_Words_Report.pdf.mp3.html" frameborder=0 width=300 height=100></iframe>Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-27393007171557840162008-06-10T05:47:00.004-04:002008-06-10T06:04:35.872-04:00Pygmalion: What 21st Century Literacies Does John Need to Learn?Clarence Fisher at <a href="http://tinyurl.com/43qpm4">Remote Access</a> posted some interesting data for his students blogging and commenting habits. One question I have: Is their a correlation between attainment of 21st Century Literacies and your data? <br /><br />In other words: Do students who evidence attainment of 21 Century Literacies blog and comment more, and students who blog and comment less do not evidence attainment of 21st Century Literacies. I suspect that if the potential of tapping the richness of collective intelligence to help us invent a more creative, collaborative, contributory future is dependent on students developing 21st Century Literacies, then I'd conclude that understanding and monitoring student attainment of these literacies is something we have to research.<br /><br />As I work to introduce my 15 year old grandson John to Web 2.0, I am thinking about these issues. What the syllabus for our web 2.0 instruction? for students? for teachers? for administrators? for parents? for school board members? for the public at large?<br /><br />Can we as a society take the risk of not teaching 21st Century Literacies? What are the personal, social, planetary benefits of everyone attaining 21st Century Literacies? We speak too much of consequences. What are the benefits to our students if they acquire 21st Century Literacies?<br /><br />When I thing of 21st Century Literacies, several sources come to mind. I think the juries still out on this issue.<br /><br />Adopted by the NCTE Executive Committee<br />February 15, 2008<br /><br />Literacy has always been a collection of cultural and communicative practices shared among members of particular groups. As society and technology change, so does literacy. Because technology has increased the intensity and complexity of literate environments, the twenty-first century demands that a literate person possess a wide range of abilities and competencies, many literacies. These literacies—from reading online newspapers to participating in virtual classrooms—are multiple, dynamic, and malleable. As in the past, they are inextricably linked with particular histories, life possibilities and social trajectories of individuals and groups. Twenty-first century readers and writers need to<br /><br /> 1. Develop proficiency with the tools of technology<br /> 2. Build relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and cross-culturally<br /> 3. Design and share information for global communities to meet a variety of purposes<br /> 4. Manage, analyze and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information<br /> 5. Create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multi-media texts<br /> 6. Attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments<br /><br />Or iste NETS<br /><br />“What students should know and be able to do to learn effectively and live productively in an increasingly digital world …”<br /><br />1. Creativity and Innovation<br />2. Communication and Collaboration<br />3. Research and Information Fluency<br />4. Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving & Decision-Making<br />5. Digital Citizenship<br />6. Technology Operations and Concepts<br /><br />Or Will Richardson's <br /><br />The new world of learning is requires us to teach students to be independent learners, ones that are not dependent on teachers but are:<br /><br /> * Self-directing--we now have the ability to create our own, personal curriculum around the ideas or topics that we are most passionate about. We no longer require curriculum to be delivered to us. We need to help our students find their passions and pursue them in the context of online networks in ethical, effective, organized and safe ways. And finding a balance between the online and offline life is also a "literacy" in this age. There are so many ways to communicate these days (blogs, wikis, IM, text, etc.) that it's easy to get overwhelmed.<br /> * Self-selecting--in this world, learning spaces are created, not provided. And teachers are not assigned, they are selected. The creation and nurturing of these highly collaborative spaces and communities is a new "literacy" that we need to help our students develop. How do we find the best teachers? How do we connect to them? How to we build communities with others that are supportive and effective?<br /> * Self-editing--whereas most of us were educated in a world where the materials we worked with had been edited by someone else along the way, in today's world, less and less of what we read is now "edited" in the traditional sense. So, reading and writing is no longer enough; we need to develop people who are effective editors of information as well.<br /> * Self-organizing--the Dewey Decimal system doesn't serve the online world well, so we have to organize our own stuff. To do that, we use tags and social bookmarking systems, building folksonomies where we organize the Web together.<br /> * Self-reflecting--as we become more and more in charge of our own learning, we need to develop the ability to reflect upon and assess our own work. This "metacognitive" work can involve a number of different genres and tools.<br /> * Self-publishing--our students will need to be literate at sharing out the work they produce because that increases the connections and conversations that can lead to further learning. Blogs, wikis, podcasts and video are among the publishing skills they will need to have.<br /><br />Or the New Media Literacies Project.<br /><br />From the Executive Summary - Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century<br /><br />The new skills include:<br /><br /> * Play— the capacity to experiment with one’s surroundings as a form of problem solving<br /> * Performance— the ability to adopt alternative identities for the purpose of improvisation and discovery<br /> * Simulation— the ability to interpret and construct dynamic models of real-world processes<br /> * Appropriation— the ability to meaningfully sample and remix media content<br /> * Multitasking— the ability to scan one’s environment and shift focus as needed to salient details.<br /> * Distributed Cognition— the ability to interact meaningfully with tools that expand mental capacities<br /> * Collective Intelligence— the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with others toward a common goal<br /> * Judgment— the ability to evaluate the reliability and credibility of different information sources<br /> * Transmedia Navigation— the ability to follow the flow of stories and information across multiple modalities<br /> * Networking— the ability to search for synthesize, and disseminate information<br /> * Negotiation— the ability to travel across diverse communities, discerning and respecting multiple perspectives, and grasping and following alternative norms.<br /><br /><br />Fostering such social skills and cultural competencies requires a more systemic approach to media education in the United States. Everyone involved in preparing young people to go out into the world has contributions to make in helping students acquire the skills they need to become full participants in our society. Schools, afterschool programs, and parents have distinctive roles to play as they do what they can in their own spaces to encourage and nurture these skills.<br /><a href="http://newmedialiteracies.org/"><br />New Media Literacies Project</a>Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-30935979467776125932008-05-27T12:29:00.004-04:002008-05-27T12:36:10.364-04:00Kenyan Strife 2007-08In this VoiceThread we listen to the story of a woman and her son's visit and eventual escape from Kenya. It is a good illustration of the potential power of this Web 2.0 tool. <br /><br /><br /><object width="480" height="360"><param name="movie" value="http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=45226"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=45226" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="480" height="360"></embed></object><img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/CIMP/bT*xJmx*PTEyMTE5MDU5MjYxOTgmcHQ9MTIxMTkwNTkyODQ2MSZwPTIwNjQyMSZkPWI*NTIyNiZuPSZnPTI=.jpg" />Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-34413386642827928862008-05-27T11:11:00.008-04:002008-05-27T11:52:28.556-04:00Three-Year-Old Rachael's Haircut VoiceThreadWes Fryer and family share this VoiceThread with us. Rachael's trip to get her hair cut short was an opportunity for the family to create a Web 2.0 artifact for family and friends. Feel free to add your comments so Rachael can know you enjoyed her story. With help from dad's pictures, Rachael presents a really complete story of a trip to the stylist.<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=4622"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=4622" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="360" width="480"></embed></object><img style="visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/CIMP/bT*xJmx*PTEyMTE5MDEwMzA2MTgmcHQ9MTIxMTkwMTA*MjY1NCZwPTIwNjQyMSZkPWI*NjIyJm49Jmc9Mg==.jpg" border="0" height="0" width="0" />Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-41302273622434190592008-05-01T22:06:00.009-04:002008-12-10T01:51:10.802-05:00We Are What We Share or Web 2.0 Educator Community ProposalIn March I had an idea. Actually, the idea has been percolating since July, but it began to take its current shape in March at the national convention for ASCD in New Orleans, 2008. A great experience, but it lacked something. Technology was not represented by the latest <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SBp52s4SqnI/AAAAAAAAAFg/-nDZ1LbcQgc/s1600-h/You+are+what+you+share.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/SBp52s4SqnI/AAAAAAAAAFg/-nDZ1LbcQgc/s320/You+are+what+you+share.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195599100792449650" border="0" /></a>thinking in the education profession. So I decided to do something about it.<br /><br />Valerie Truesdale, ASCD president mentioned to me that the 2009 annual conference in Orlando was "Learning Beyond Boundaries." I created a wiki and invited my online colleagues to work with me to submit a collaborative proposal to ASCD. Many people showed interest and several contributed to the wiki. I used the content that people contributed to develop...<br /><h1 id="toc0"><span style="font-size:85%;">A Proposal for Collaboration between ASCD and the Web 2.0 Educator Community for ASCD’s 2009 Annual Conference: Learning Beyond Boundaries</span></h1>The proposal is worth reading, but the process we went through is just as interesting.<br /><br />First there were the "tweets" that went out through Twitter.com inviting those in my online Network to the conversation. You can read the conversation that started it all <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2lklhe">here</a>. Then I created a page for drafting the proposal which you can see <a href="http://tinyurl.com/5l7dr7">here</a>. Finally, this week we finished the proposal and you can see that <a href="http://tinyurl.com/637qcq">here</a>.<br /><br />I want to thank all who joined the Learning Beyond Boundaries wiki and others who visited and expressed interest and support for the effort. Earlier tonight I emailed the proposal page link to three leaders within ASCD. I hope we are successful. If we are, I hope you will contribute to this effort by joining the wiki and helping us as we work with the ASCD 2009 annual conference program committee to follow through on the proposal.<br /><br />Nothing worth doing is ever done in vain. (I said that.)Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-13156587459742046522008-04-28T04:48:00.009-04:002008-04-28T06:16:05.431-04:00In Their Own Words ~ Students Learning with Web 2.0 or Two Master Teachers at WorkChris Harbeck and Darren Kuropatwa are mathematics teachers in Canada; Chris at Sargent Park School, a junior high school in Winnipeg and Darren at Daniel McIntyre Collegiate only a few blocks from Sargent Park. In April 2008 they brought a few of their students to Manitoba for the Pan-Canadian Interactive Literacy Forum to speak about their learning experiences in their respective math classes using Web 2.0 tools. Listen to Chris and Darren and their students speak. Be ready to take notes on the interactive internet tools the students refer to that have become signposts for how technology has become a transparent backdrop to the real business of school - learning. More important however, be ready to be inspired by these teachers' comments and the students' presentations. Remember as you are watching and listening to these SlideShares that if students do not have teachers like Darren and Chis who are willing to learn how to use Web 2.0 tools and use them to push learning off the charts for their students, the students in our schools will never have the learning experiences of which these students speak.<br /><br />Here is <a href="http://makeitinteresting.blogspot.com/">Chris Harbeck</a> and three of his students, Kate, Karen, and Angelo, speaking about their learning.<br /><br /><div style="width: 425px; text-align: left;" id="__ss_353688"><object style="margin: 0px;" height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=pancanlitforum08sp-1208230336316826-9"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=pancanlitforum08sp-1208230336316826-9" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><div style="font-size: 11px; font-family: tahoma,arial; height: 26px; padding-top: 2px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/?src=embed"><img src="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/logo_embd.png" style="border: 0px none ; margin-bottom: -5px;" alt="SlideShare" /></a> | <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/charbeck1/pan-canadian-literacy-forum-april-14th-2008" title="View this slideshow on SlideShare">View</a> | <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/upload">Upload your own</a></div></div><img style="visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/CIMP/bT*xJmx*PTEyMDkzNzI*MDI5ODQmcHQ9MTIwOTM3MjQyNTc4MSZwPTEwMTkxJmQ9Jm49Jmc9Mg==.jpg" border="0" height="0" width="0" /><br />Here is <a href="http://adifference.blogspot.com/">Darren Kuropatwa</a> and three of his students, Chris Cadonic, Graeme Weiss, and Mark Rabena, speaking about their learning.<br /><br /><div style="width: 425px; text-align: left;" id="__ss_352539"><object style="margin: 0px;" height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=pancanlitforum08-1208188771477952-9"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=pancanlitforum08-1208188771477952-9" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><div style="font-size: 11px; font-family: tahoma,arial; height: 26px; padding-top: 2px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/?src=embed"><img src="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/logo_embd.png" style="border: 0px none ; margin-bottom: -5px;" alt="SlideShare" /></a> | <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/dkuropatwa/pan-canadian-literacy-forum-2008" title="View this slideshow on SlideShare">View</a> | <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/upload">Upload your own</a></div></div><img style="visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/CIMP/bT*xJmx*PTEyMDkzNzU3MjQyNTAmcHQ9MTIwOTM3NTcyOTU2MiZwPTEwMTkxJmQ9Jm49Jmc9Mg==.jpg" border="0" height="0" width="0" /><br /><br />Finally, don't miss the Q and A after the presentations, which you can find on Darren's blog in a post on the conference right <a href="http://tinyurl.com/4sf944">here</a>.Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-84345855182996175262008-04-12T09:21:00.000-04:002008-04-12T09:21:59.728-04:00Be a Creative Thinker and Problem Solver - wikiHow<a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Creative-Thinker-and-Problem-Solver">Be a Creative Thinker and Problem Solver - wikiHow</a>Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-90501905490892895742008-04-06T21:20:00.002-04:002008-04-12T07:55:42.953-04:00Conversation by Design or Blogging for Community<div><br /> From: <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/darmano/">darmano</a>, 10 months ago<br /><br /><br /> <div style="width: 425px; text-align: left;" id="__ss_48984"><object style="margin: 0px;" height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=conversation-by-design-15335"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=conversation-by-design-15335" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><div style="font-size: 11px; font-family: tahoma,arial; height: 26px; padding-top: 2px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/?src=embed"><img src="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/logo_embd.png" style="border: 0px none ; margin-bottom: -5px;" alt="SlideShare" /></a> | <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/darmano/conversation-by-design?src=embed" title="View 'Conversation by Design' on SlideShare">View</a> | <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/upload?src=embed">Upload your own</a></div></div><br /><br /><br /> Creating an effective and unique blog experience<br /><br /><br /> <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/darmano/conversation-by-design">SlideShare Link</a><br /> </div><br /> <embed src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/CIMP/JnB*PTEyMDc1MzEzMTQ4MzgmcD*xMDE5MSZkPSZuPWJsb2dnZXI=.swf" flashvars="" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="0" width="0"></embed>Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-73582833836858855542008-04-06T07:20:00.001-04:002008-04-06T07:20:35.945-04:00Check out my Slide Show!<div><embed src="http://widget-9d.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" wmode="transparent" flashvars="cy=bb&il=1&channel=2233785415183625117&site=widget-9d.slide.com" style="width:400px;height:320px" name="flashticker" align="middle"></embed><div style="width:400px;text-align:left;"><a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=fl&id=2233785415183625117&map=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-9d.slide.com/p1/2233785415183625117/bb_t048_v000_s0fl_f00/images/xslide1.gif" border="0" ismap="ismap" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=fl&id=2233785415183625117&map=2" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-9d.slide.com/p2/2233785415183625117/bb_t048_v000_s0fl_f00/images/xslide2.gif" border="0" ismap="ismap" /></a></div></div>Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-2619669273330404742008-04-03T06:57:00.003-04:002008-04-12T07:56:54.927-04:00Pygmalion Project: April 3, 2008<a href="http://weblogg-ed.com/2008/critical-perspectives-on-web-20/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: Critical Perspectives on Web 2.0">Critical Perspectives on Web 2.0</a> , a post by Will Richardson prompted this comment on a project I am beginning with my grandson.<br /><br />Will, I've been thinking a lot about the juxtaposition of the tremendous challenges we face as we try to improve schools systemically and the individual learner's right to learn. Is it the story of learning students experience in schools that which is preventing them from fulfilling the promise we see for web 2.0 pedagogies, is it a broader issue of cultural norms and expectations that students have internalized, or is it something else?<br /><br />I keep seeing in my mind's eye the pictures of your children sitting in your home with their laptops open ready to learn with a teacher who is with them via the internet. (Don't remember where the picture came from. Probably Pageflakes.) Right to learn triumphs over attempts to improve schools!<br /><br />Here's a conference session proposal I just submitted to MassCUE for their November 2008 conference that describes the platform my grandson and I intend to use to learn more on the topic.<br /><br /><block>In the original Greek version of the story Pygmalion is a sculptor who creates a statue into which Aphrodite breathes life. Every day students in schools throughout our country are learning without the benefit of 21st Century Web 2.0 pedagogies. What would happen if someone tried to add those pedagogies from outside the system? Google applications, digital story telling tools, blogs, wikis, and RSS feeds and aggregators are some of the tools teachers are using to help students become self-directed learners. If a high school student is not asked by teachers to use those tools, is it possible for a student to learn how to apply those tools to complete his assignments and breathe live into his own learning? In this session John, a Massachusetts public high school student who once told me he did not mind learning, it was the homework he could not stand, will join me to report on our efforts to add Web 2.0 pedagogies into his learning environment. Which tools help John with assignments? Which carry him beyond the assignments into new learning? We will report on what happened and speculate about the implications for John’s future learning and schooling in general.</block><br /><br />Here's John's <a href="http://tinyurl.com/ytqbsx">first assignment</a>.<br /><br />I'd love to have my network join the conversation as this project (Pygmalion Project) moves forward. I'm flying somewhat blind here and could use everyone's help. You can start by commenting on this post.Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-24866061229822500712008-03-31T00:04:00.010-04:002008-12-10T01:51:11.260-05:00The Planet is Their Classroom; Are They Ready to Learn?<span style="font-style: italic;">In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.</span> ~ Eric Hoffer<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Future is Upon Us<br /><br /></span>The world my grandson Aidan will inherit is not the world of my childhood. A few weeks ago, for example, I learned that seeds are now more important to our future than I could have ever imagined. Norway has decided to help the planet<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/R_MLQyXM_qI/AAAAAAAAAFY/7F5FB2Gz22g/s1600-h/Web+1.0+Classroom+2.0+Ning.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/R_MLQyXM_qI/AAAAAAAAAFY/7F5FB2Gz22g/s320/Web+1.0+Classroom+2.0+Ning.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184499979058478754" border="0" /></a> bounce back from disaster by establishing the Svalbard Global Seed Vault on an island that lies in the Arctic Ocean only 620 miles from the North Pole.<br /><br />The Seed Vault can store up to 2.25 billion seeds and exists to preserve the biodiversity of the planet. Over 100 countries are contributing seeds to the vault. This is truly an international effort aimed at research, food preservation, and hope in a time when the world is predicted to experience drastic global climate change over the next 100 years.<br /><br />This is the world my grandchildren and our communities’ children will inherit. Are we equipped to prepare our students for it? Does the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and hundreds of stories like it have a place in our curriculum?<br /><br />I virtually attended the February 26, 2008 <a href="http://tinyurl.com/3aoaok">opening ceremonies</a> inside the vault and you can too. It really is a trip to the future. Coincidentally, February 26 was Aidan’s sixth birthday; he is a kindergartener looking forward to a life of learning. What skills or literacies does he need for the 21st Century?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">21st Century Literacies</span><br /><br />We are well on our way to answering that question. A Google search to define 21st Century Literacy turns up 246,000 hits. A perusal of the top ten sites reveals references to multimedia literacy, information literacy (three mentions), digital-age literacy, multicultural literacy,<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/R_BnCSXM_oI/AAAAAAAAAFI/-iJr94BUpSI/s1600-h/Web+2.0+Classroom+2.0+Ning.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3Y1U9GicwCE/R_BnCSXM_oI/AAAAAAAAAFI/-iJr94BUpSI/s320/Web+2.0+Classroom+2.0+Ning.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183756460089998978" border="0" /></a> visual literacy, media literacy, computer literacy, technology literacy, and network literacy. It is hard to avoid the conclusion that technology is having a tremendous impact on the thinking about what students need to know for the future.<br /><br />Mary Devaney Columbo in an article <span style="font-style: italic;">New Literacy Skills for the 21st Century</span> discusses the work of the Internet Reading Group at Clemson University and the New Literacies Research Team at the University of Connecticut. They have identified five new literacy skills students need to acquire for online reading. In <span style="font-style: italic;">On the Road to New Literacies</span> Nancy Gustafson and Grace Maley discuss how their school district is implementing the Framework for 21st Century Skills developed by The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Both articles appear in the spring 2008 issue of MASCD's journal Perspectives.<br /><br />Three more important sources for information on 21st Century Literacies are:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/2m55e7">Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture</a>: Media Education for the 21st Century. Project New Media Literacies,</li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/3dlv8b">National Educational Technology Standards for Students</a>, Second Edition. International Society for Technology in Education,</li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/3boqh6">enGauge: A Framework for Effective Technology Use</a>. North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Learning Point Associates. (Unfortunately there is this notice on the enGauge website: Effective 3/31/08, the enGauge website will no longer be available.)</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Toward A Definition of 21st Century Literacies</span><br /><br />Recently the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) issued a statement they called Toward A Definition of 21st Century Literacies that summarizes a lot of what I have learned about this topic.<br /><br /><blockquote> Literacy has always been a collection of cultural and communicative practices shared among members of particular groups. As society and technology change, so does literacy. Because technology has increased the intensity and complexity of literate environments, the twenty-first century demands that a literate person possess a wide range of abilities and competencies, many literacies. These literacies—from reading online newspapers to participating in virtual classrooms—are multiple, dynamic, and malleable. As in the past, they are inextricably linked with particular histories, life possibilities and social trajectories of individuals and groups. Twenty-first century readers and writers need to </blockquote><ul><li>Develop proficiency with the tools of technology</li><li>Build relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and cross-culturally</li><li>Design and share information for global communities to meet a variety of purposes</li><li>Manage, analyze and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information</li><li>Create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multi-media texts</li><li>Attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments1</li></ul><span>The digital universe where these literacies are evident is far removed from the world in which most parents, educators, researchers and politicians live. It is at best a foreign country and at worse the “dark side.” The language, behaviors, norms, tools, and learning environments, although at times virtual, are very real for those who use them; however, unless you experience them yourself, you will not be able to understand them or realize their importance for learning in the 21st Century. Perhaps if we acknowledge how difficult change is for us, we can overcome our resistance to the dramatic shift the digital world represents.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Resistance to Change</span><br /><br />Frank Duffey in <span style="font-style: italic;">I Think, Therefore I Am Resistant to Change</span> describes the psychological barrier we have to overcome if we are to understand these new literacies and transform education to prepare our children for their Svalbard-Global-Seed-Bank future.<br /></span><br />Mental models resist change. People don't like to change what they think they know. Given new information to consider, individuals will search their existing mental models to ensure that the new information is consistent with what they know…. If the individual cannot link … new information to an existing mental model, he or she may … discard the information as irrelevant, unimportant, or wrong.2<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Building Learning Communities</span><br /><br />I was introduced to the digital world of learning at a conference in Massachusetts last summer, Building Learning Communities 2007, http://tinyurl.com/2rv9lv. It was the first time in my life I sat in a conference room to hear a keynote address where every other person had a computer open on his or her lap, and most if not all of the laptops were connected to the Internet. What I was slow to realize then was that some of the computers were communicating with colleagues who for whatever reason could not be physically present in the room, but who were nonetheless present virtually via computer They could be any place on the planet with an Internet connection.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">K12 Digital Instructional Development</span><br /><br />I went on from that experience to learn more about the digital world of learning that is currently evolving and, I predict, will continue to do so for some time. In October 2007 I attended a free three-week online conference called K12 Online Conference 2007 that is archived on the Internet at http://tinyurl.com/24h2o6 and will be held again in October 2008. Mark it on your calendar! What I learned at the conference opened my eyes to teaching and learning environments that were virtually unknown to me. Since then, with the help of a few people I met online at the conference, I have developed an online network of teachers, administrators, technology specialists and librarians from across the United States and the planet. They have helped me experience and understand the potential importance of the National Council of Teachers of English defined 21st Century Literacies to education for the future. They are part of my Twitter.com virtual network, and I cannot thank them enough for all they are doing to prepare our profession for education in the future.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Collective Intelligences</span><br /><br />The MIT Center for Collective Intelligences, http://tinyurl.com/2zo9yl, was recently established to answer one research question: How can people and computers be connected so that—collectively—they act more intelligently than any individuals, groups, or computers have ever done before? For the sake of my grandson Aidan and all the children, I urge you to take the first step.Drop any resistance to the new literacies paradigm, commit yourself to learn more about it, and as you do, invite the colleagues from your professional learning community to join you on the journey I have begun into the digital universe our children will inherit. I am convinced, as MIT apparently is, that collectively we have an opportunity to pool intelligences globally in ways we cannot imagine today to answer the questions of tomorrow. We have to claim these opportunities and help our students to claim them. I suspect it may be the only way we will be able to live creatively and successfully in a world that could be very different from the one we are equipped to live in, a world that is rapidly disappearing.<br /><br />1 <span style="font-style: italic;">Toward A Definition of 21st-Century Literacies</span>, Adopted by the NCTE Executive Committee, February 15, 2008<br /><br />2 <span style="font-style: italic;">I Think, Therefore I Am Resistant to Change</span>. Francis M. Duffy. Journal of Staff Development, Winter 2003 (Vol. 24, No. 1). National Staff Development Council. http://tinyurl.com/37cl66<br /><br /><span>This article is in the Spring 2008 edition of Perspectives, MA Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.<br /><br />The two images come from <a href="http://classroom20.ning.com">Classroom 2.0.ning.com</a> and are used with permission of the site creator.<br /></span>Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-23305049407909585592008-03-30T22:48:00.013-04:002008-03-30T23:52:48.055-04:00Did You Know - IV?This is the most recent version of Did You Know - IV? video that I have seen. It reminds me of a 60 Minutes interview with Al Gore that aired tonight on Global Climate Change. This week a marketing campaign will begin (April 1, 2008) to convince people to acknowledge the truth of global climate change; Gore says, "this is about survival," and comments that Vice-President Dick Cheney and others like him, who say the jury's out on whether or not global climate change is being caused by humans, are similar to people who "still believe the moon landing was staged in a movie lot in Arizona and those who believe the earth is flat." <br /><br />Later in the interview at CBS Gore says, "We don't have any other choice; we just don't have any other choice. I wish I knew a better way to do it. I constantly ask myself, how can I be more effective in getting this message across? It's so clear. It's so ... compelling and yet it takes time to get the facts out. <br /><br />This new version of the Did You Know video is an attempt to get the facts out on a different topic - the global digital shift.<br /><br /><embed src="http://www.teachertube.com/skin-p/mediaplayer.swf" width="425" height="350" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" flashvars="&file=http://www.teachertube.com/flvideo/10914.flv&image=http://www.teachertube.com/thumb/10914.jpg&location=http://www.teachertube.com/skin-p/mediaplayer.swf&logo=http://www.teachertube.com/images/greylogo.swf&frontcolor=0xffffff&backcolor=0x000000&lightcolor=0xFF0000&screencolor=0xffffff&autostart=false&volume=80&overstretch=fit&link=http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=fc5b61a7573431d43fee&linkfromdisplay=true&recommendations=http://www.teachertube.com/embedplaylist.php?chid=69"></embed>Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-20792708260479062022008-03-21T10:04:00.009-04:002008-03-21T10:40:07.753-04:00Big Think & Self-Directed Learning: How can students use it to learn?Here are examples of what <a href="http://tinyurl.com/yvw4pz">Big Think</a> offers. I'm wondering how Big Think could be used by students to learn. Any thoughts?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />What inspires you?</span><br /><br /><object><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" width="416" height="347" id="video_player" align="middle"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.bigthink.com/swf/video_player_404x303.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="flashVars" value="ideaid=546&embedded=true&ideacolor=3&videowidth=404&videoheight=303&loadUrl=http://www.bigthink.com/feed/playerInfo.xml" /><embed src="http://www.bigthink.com/swf/video_player_404x303.swf" wmode="transparent" quality="high" bgcolor="#666666" width="416" height="347" flashVars="ideaid=546&embedded=true&ideacolor=3&videowidth=404&videoheight=303&loadUrl=http://www.bigthink.com/feed/playerInfo.xml" name="video_player" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" allowFullScreen="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" /></object></object></embed><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What does it take to make the world into a better place?</span><br /><br /><object><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" width="416" height="347" id="video_player" align="middle"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.bigthink.com/swf/video_player_404x303.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="flashVars" value="ideaid=8653&embedded=true&ideacolor=2&videowidth=404&videoheight=303&loadUrl=http://www.bigthink.com/feed/playerInfo.xml" /><embed src="http://www.bigthink.com/swf/video_player_404x303.swf" wmode="transparent" quality="high" bgcolor="#666666" width="416" height="347" flashVars="ideaid=8653&embedded=true&ideacolor=2&videowidth=404&videoheight=303&loadUrl=http://www.bigthink.com/feed/playerInfo.xml" name="video_player" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" allowFullScreen="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" /></object></object></embed><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Should there be limits on science?</span><br /><br /><object><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" width="416" height="347" id="video_player" align="middle"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.bigthink.com/swf/video_player_404x303.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="flashVars" value="ideaid=8113&embedded=true&ideacolor=2&videowidth=404&videoheight=303&loadUrl=http://www.bigthink.com/feed/playerInfo.xml" /><embed src="http://www.bigthink.com/swf/video_player_404x303.swf" wmode="transparent" quality="high" bgcolor="#666666" width="416" height="347" flashVars="ideaid=8113&embedded=true&ideacolor=2&videowidth=404&videoheight=303&loadUrl=http://www.bigthink.com/feed/playerInfo.xml" name="video_player" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" allowFullScreen="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" /></object></object></embed>Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-88403163063283370452008-03-18T20:47:00.003-04:002008-03-18T20:55:43.783-04:00Web 2.0 Presentation StyleIf you are new to making presentations on Web 2.0 pedagogies and want to see someone's work to emulate for content and style, here is a good example from a South Carolinian, Cathy Nelson. Good stuff Cathy!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Creating, Contributing, Collaborating</span><br /><br />Comment on the features in this this style of presentation. How does this style of presentation differ from a typical bulleted slide presentation? To ignore it is to choose ~ Death by PowerPoint.<br /><br /><div style="width: 425px; text-align: left;" id="__ss_312823"><object style="margin: 0px;" height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=feed-the-mind-with-rss-1205885159164102-2"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=feed-the-mind-with-rss-1205885159164102-2" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><div style="font-size: 11px; font-family: tahoma,arial; height: 26px; padding-top: 2px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/?src=embed"><img src="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/logo_embd.png" style="border: 0px none ; margin-bottom: -5px;" alt="SlideShare" /></a> | <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/cnelson/feed-the-mind-with-rss?src=embed" title="View 'Feed the Mind with RSS' on SlideShare">View</a> | <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/upload?src=embed">Upload your own</a></div></div>Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-68014992977882157072008-03-15T08:53:00.004-04:002008-03-15T09:05:13.765-04:00May 1, 2008: Deadline for ASCD's 2009 Annual Conference Proposals<span style="font-weight: bold;">May 1, 2009 is the Day. I am one person trying to change the world. Join me and we will make history. If you talk about the Echo Chamber, here's how to open the door of the chamber and walk out! I need your help to Pass This Forward! Education as we know it will never be the same if you do.</span><br /><br />The 2009 ASCD Annual Conference has four themes and two are relevant to this shout out.<br /> <ul><li><a class="wiki_link_ext" href="http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/menuitem.c63df8e835be92de8b35b392d3108a0c/template.article?articleMgmtId=63b8d2d712ef6110VgnVCM1000003d01a8c0RCRD#challenging" rel="nofollow">Imagine: Challenging Minds to Engage and Learn More Deeply</a></li><li><a class="wiki_link_ext" href="http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/menuitem.c63df8e835be92de8b35b392d3108a0c/template.article?articleMgmtId=63b8d2d712ef6110VgnVCM1000003d01a8c0RCRD#connecting" rel="nofollow">Imagine: Connecting Learners in an E-World</a></li></ul>This is a "shout out" to students and educators in my digital network. Pass this message onto everyone in your network.<br /><br />Twitter It!<br />Post It!<br />Do video teasers for YouTube and TeacherTube!<br />Do whatever it takes to get this message out.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">THE MESSAGE</span><br /><br /> ASCD is the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Their membership represents more than 175,000 educators from 119 countries and nearly 60 affiliates. Their 2009 Annual Conference is about Imagining how to Engage Students more deeply in their Learning and about How Technology Can Help.<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 2008 Annual Conference: March 15-17, 2008</span><br /><ul><li> 12,000 ~ The number of people attending</li><li> 500+ ~ The number of sessions offered</li><li> 27 ~ The number of sessions in the Instructional Technology Strand</li><li> 5 ~ The number of sessions in the Instructional Technology Strand with Web 2.0 content!!</li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/2cagep">2009 Annual Conference Can Be Very Different<br />Visit Claiming What We Imagine</a><br /></span></div>Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8250362793395949461.post-46261633539175345562008-03-14T05:36:00.011-04:002008-03-15T08:42:41.771-04:00Creating Powerful Online Communities of Practice: Sheryl Nussbaum-BeachIn this presentation from the North Carolina Association for Educational Communication and Technology <a href="http://tinyurl.com/34q57a">Shift Happens Conference</a>, March 12-14, 2008, <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2s4xnu">Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach</a> shares her understanding of how to build online communities of <a href="http://tinyurl.com/322qd9">Powerful Learning Practice</a>. She really drills down into the topic, good insights!<br /><br />Here is a Ustream.tv feed of the presentation. Below it you'll find the slide presentation and go <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2j2s9r">here</a> to find additional resources Nussbaum-Beach provides learners.<br /><br /><embed flashvars="autoplay=false&brand=embed" src="http://ustream.tv/5gY5NLZMHmz,4FXPQzYwdIbOmTem0Ia5.usv" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="416"></embed></p><br /><div style="width:425px;text-align:left" id="__ss_306123"><object style="margin:0px" height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=pl-ppresncaetc2-1205496967496458-4"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><embed src="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=pl-ppresncaetc2-1205496967496458-4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><div style="font-size:11px;font-family:tahoma,arial;height:26px;padding-top:2px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/?src=embed"><img src="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/logo_embd.png" style="border:0px none;margin-bottom:-5px" alt="SlideShare"/></a> | <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/snbeach/pl-ppresncaetc2" title="View this slideshow on SlideShare">View</a> | <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/upload">Upload your own</a></div></div><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">NCAECT Shift Happens 2008 <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2g2uhk">Conference Wiki</a></span>Dennis Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08909718473408727866noreply@blogger.com2