Goodbye, Hello

2009 has been a strange year at school with lots of changes along the way.

The main difference has been my change in roles. No longer confined to my classroom five days a week, I roam across the school now. Four mornings every week are spent in other classrooms, working alongside teachers or working with specific groups of children. From shiny, new 5 years olds to crusty 11 year old veterans and their teachers - I've worked with them all. I've really enjoyed it, though I still miss the time I had with Room 9, and I sometimes feel like I have no base to call home. Our classroom blog has been sadly neglected because of my new responsibilities, it hasn't quite fitted with what's been happening in class and in the afternoons there is so much to do in so little time. Next year we'll make it work.

A few highlights stand out. The trip to ULearn09 in Christchurch was a major event in our school calendar and we were lucky enough to take nearly our whole staff. Twenty-two of us descended on Christchurch from the sky, hit the road running (we landed 45 minutes before the first Keynote) and spent three days soaking up the fresh ideas and collegiality. I met up with some of the internet freaks that my mother would have warned me about, my twittering friends. It as great to meet so many of them in person. Tony Ryan says it much better than I can, but if you're considering going to ULearn next year - just do it! We returned to school in Term 4 energised and enthusiastic. If we weren't quite reading from the same page we at least had the same book open.

Working with new-entrant children is an education in itself... a reminder of just how much they assimilate in those first few years of school. They're, for the most part, eager, fearless and engaged learners. Nearly everything has a wow factor for them and they are a joy to work with, their energy seems to soak into you. I watched as a boy (at school for two days) took up the IWB pen and started using the shape tool to draw circles. Within a few minutes he'd covered the board with a rainbow assortment of circles of varying sizes. I looked away for a minute ( I was helping one of the other 5 year olds record their story with an Easi-Speak ready for sharing). When I looked back at the IWB he had sorted the circles into groups, by colour or by size. There were three left that didn't obviously fit his criteria... so he promptly changed their colours and sizes and sorted them too!

I've seen massive shifts in attitude and ability in staff and I credit our trip to ULearn with a lot of this. In particular there was one teacher who openly admitted her technophobia (you know who you are). For 45 minutes a day, four days a week, over 8 weeks we slowly chipped away at her fears, building skills in a "just in time" way that meant everything she learnt was immediately relevant, useful and used. Success!

At the end of Term 4 I found an envelope in my cubby hole. In it was a note from the Junior Syndicate, thanking me for my help... it was worded so positively that I had to sit down and blink to stop the happy tears (I'm a big softy).

To wrap up the year I've been given ICT responsibility for the whole school. I still have a classroom role, I'll continue to provide professional development for teachers and work alongside students too. I also have to focus on integrating ICT and IWBs across the school and curriculum and developing a tiered support network for colleagues. With this comes the onerous job of outlining a three year ICT strategy for the school... something I've rarely thought about, but I'm looking forward to sinking my teeth into the challenge.

Oh yeah, to top it all off I'm moving rooms; same age students, different location. We're moving to vertically organised groups of classes, Years 2, 3 and 4 supporting each other and learning together. You wouldn't believe the "resources" that a teacher can accumulate after nine years in the same room. Or maybe you would!

So, goodbye Room 9, hello Room 13.

Goodbye 2009, hello 2010. Bring it on!



Happy New Year to you all!

Getting Over It

If you've read my earlier post Talking the Talk you'll know how I feel about hearing my recorded voice. Yesterday the chance arose to take another step up the ladder and produce a video.

@catspyjamasnz asked for people to contribute to her project What My PLN Means to Me and to add a video to the wiki.

So here's my contribution. Like I've said before, we have to put ourselves out there and get over our dislikes, fears and phobias. How can we expect children to do this if we don't?

Pencils and Crayons to be Banned in Schools

A new law coming into force later this month will require students to check in their pencils and crayons at the office and collect them after school. Any children caught with pencils or crayons in their possession will have then confiscated and parents will be informed.

"We've had enough," said one teacher, "kids are writing notes to each other in class. It's distracting for us all. Besides that, they spend too much time sharpening them when they could be working."

There have been many reports of children using their pencils to "poke" each other and there have even been arguments about who owns which pencil.

"They'll have someone's eye out one day. It's only a matter of time before something serious happens," commented a parent who favours the all out ban. "Better to ban them all rather than risk an accident - they can be really sharp."

In some cases pencils have been used by pupils to record their ideas and learning, but they've also created problems with their inappropriate use in class. The introduction of new "coloured" pencils means that children are being tempted to create ever more creative work and the notes passed around now include garish illustrations.

One parent explained his opinion. "Chalk and slate was good enough for us, black and white and easy to read, not a confusing multicoloured mess. You couldn't pass notes around without the teacher noticing and the chalk couldn't be sharpened into a dangerous point. The greatest danger was that you'd drop it on your foot. I'd like chalk to remain the teachers' main tool (along with talk). Let's keep it at the centre of learning."

A few teachers are not convinced that the ban is the best policy. They worry about the effect it might have on student engagement and motivation.

"As soon as they get out of school kids are writing, drawing and passing notes around. I think by banning the pencil and crayon we risk alienating students and making their time at school seem irrelevant to their lives."

"Used in the correct way they are powerful learning tools, students (and teachers) need to be trained in their proper classroom use."

"It seems ridiculous to exclude something that is so readily available outside school and widely integrated into all aspects of our modern society. They are exposed to these modern implements from an early age and most children use them on a daily basis. To take them away is erasing educational opportunities."

No one can argue with the fact that a sharpened pencil can cause injury and that something must be done. It's too soon to determine the outcome of the ban. We'll just have to wait and see.

P.S. There is a rumour that something called a "ballpoint pen" is beginning to gain popularity among teens. How will schools cope with this new permanent menace? At least pencils can be erased with the right equipment.



image by orangeacid at Flickr

originally posted at What Now? What Next? So What?

Empowering Lifeskills

I promised that I'd photoshop* this photo and add effects to the plastic lightsabres we were holding. It took me a couple of months to get around to it and about an hour to complete. Once I'd finished I pushed it out on to twitter as a bit of a joke.

I got a tweet back from @SharonHarper



and followed the link. It led to a TED video of Gever Tulley (@gever). You can watch it below.



I did all these things as a kid (and more-see number 2 of my 7 Things), though my copyright infringments were limited by the technology of the time; the cassette recorder and the transistor radio.

How many of you did the things that Gever Tulley talks about? What about your children? What about your class? I know I was shocked to find that my son had been using a power drill and handsaw to make a "video camera" while he was in kindergarten. Are we too protective of our children and students? If so... what changed and when?

Another Gever Tulley TED Talk including a rollercoaster created by 7 year olds.

*I don't actually have photoshop, but "paint.netted" doesn't roll of the tongue in quite the same way.

Originally posted at What Now? What Next? So What?

The Future is...Now?

I opened google reader to find a new post by Steve Wheeler (@timbuckteeth) entitled "This Generation Learning", in which he discusses the barriers that prevent teachers adopting emerging technologies and teaching tools.

"...I think the most trenchant barrier to grand adoption of emerging technologies is time. Teachers quite simply don't have enough time to do anything other than survive during the working academic year. And then the holidays are spent recovering from the relentless onslaught of planning, teaching and assessment cycles. When the governments of this world stop testing and measuring everything to destruction and start seeing learning as a means to an end rather than as an outcome, then we may see some changes."

Go, read his post and watch the video... how many students in your school are using these technologies? How many of your colleagues even know these things are possible? What about your Board of Trustees?



Steve Wheeler will be in Auckland, NZ in September 2010, does anyone in Auckland want to organise an opportunity for him to speak/meet with interested educators?

originally posted at What Now? What Next? So What?

Google Wave - Surf City Here We Come

Lars Rasmussen and Google Wave

Imagine all (and I mean all) the web tools we now use in education. Blogs, wiki, googledocs, photosharing, IM, twitter, etherpad, maps, games, polls, forums and video etc.

Now imagine them all integrated into one web application… cross platform and cross device. Where a tweet shows up instantaneously as a blog entry, a blog comment appears as a tweet, photos appear and disappear on different blogs as they are uploaded or deleted. Collaborative work on documents, images and maps is live and instant. Intelligent spellchecking (using context, symantics and syntax) fixes most errors on the fly.

Google wave is all this and more. Have a look at the developer preview video (1hr 20mins) and see if it moves you to tears like it did me.


Unbelievable.

... and, oh yeah, it's opensource.

Being Inspired - Part 1

'Lifelong learning' is another 'buzz' term that has been floating around for a while. It's a great theory, and something we want for all of our students. It is not until recently that I have really felt like a life long learner. Being a part of a worldwide learning community through blogging, has introduced me to a range of people who motivate me to learn and be a better teacher. Some of these people are the fantastic teachers I've had the chance to collaborate with, and some of these people are my own students.

Since being involved with blogging I have learned about dozens of new web 2.0 tools that have made my teaching life richer. In the past, I have found that biting off too many new things has left me feeling overwhelmed, but seeing the fantastic ways that teachers around the world are using these tools gives me a drive to try out anything that comes to my attention and then share them with anyone who'll listen (and even some who won't). 

It's not the tools that have inspired me though. It's the experiences I've witnessed kids having because of them, and it's the inspiring teaching (and teachers) that I see that go with these experiences. It has already been a great year of professional learning for me and I would like to take an opportunity here to reflect on, and acknowledge,  some of the people and experiences that have contributed to my new learning.

Myles Webb, is a teacher from New Zealand. I was introduced to his 2008 class blog (Tamaki Today) at the end of last year, and was blown away with what I saw. I felt like I was visiting his classroom and could see the excitement and love for learning that his students were getting through blogging. Myles and the sharing he does through his blog, have given me the resources, confidence and drive to recognise and better meet the cultural learning needs of students in my class.

Bill Chamberlain is a teacher from Missouri, USA. Bill's class was my first introduction to collaboration online. We were both reading HOLES by Louis Sachar with our classes at the same time. I'd noticed this and thought it was pretty cool that 2 classes on opposite sides of the world were having a similar experience. I shared this with my students, we marveled at the coolness and that was that. A couple of weeks down the track, Bill had his students comment on the reflection questions I had posted for my kids to answer and we then responded to his task the next week. It seems simple thinking back, but as a new blogger, this was my real introduction to what blogging with students was all about. This made me realise that our classroom walls were no longer holding us in, and that the blog was not just between my class and I. Bill is constantly thinking and pushing us all to step out of our comfort zone as we expect our students to do. 

Joe McClung, also from Noel, Missouri, is my most recent collaborator. During our recent school holidays here in Australia, I had an opportunity to SKYPE into Joe's class and talk with his students. They are a great bunch of kids who asked some really good questions about our class and school life in Australia. Thanks to a terrible answer about Aussie Rules football, this chat has spawned a lot of learning for both classes, and has been a really rewarding experience for me as a teacher and is still providing in my classroom. Seeing photos of Joe's kids with the footy we sent over and reading their presentations on AFL, really slammed home the idea of a global learning community. For those of you that have read earlier posts on this site, it's obvious that Joe loves being a teacher and consistently reminds us that learning does not have to

 be dull, and that there is definitely room for fun in the classroom.

These three fellas (official Aussie spelling) are just a few of the teachers that have motivated and inspired  a lot of my classroom learning this year. The conversations I've had with Michael Fawcett, Pam Thompson, Paul Luke, John Strange and many others, and the comments left on this site have all contributed to my professional learning. It's a great thing to be a part of and I encourage EVERYONE to find something that keeps YOU on your toes and makes you want to do better. 

Jarrod Lamshed

http://web.me.com/jarrod.lamshed

Lurking Anarchists?

Edupunk

A couple of weeks ago I was happily twittering away when @timbuckteeth (Steve Wheeler) dropped the link below into the tweetstream.

I have no idea why I clicked on the link. Maybe it was to test the livestreaming because I'd been experimenting with basic streaming from my phone. Maybe it was simple curiosity or perhaps it was an example of what Steve Wheeler called legitimate peripheral participation (lurking). Whatever the reason I spent the next 30 to 40 minutes watching a Skyped presentation in Bremen, Germany.

I was introduced to Edupunk, a term that's probably familiar to many, but new to me. I watched with burgeoning interest as Mr Wheeler explained some of the ideas behind Edupunk, interacting with the class, answering questions and adding insights. You can view the Mogulus archive of it here (skip to 3:30) and read Mr Wheeler's subsequent blogpost.

I think I'm beginning to understand Edupunk's far reaching philosophy. It's about teacher's (and students) participating on their own terms. It's cutting out the educational profiteers, directing financial resources elsewhere. Like using a Wii remote hack costing less than NZ$250 to create a multitouch digital whiteboard instead of paying NZ$3295 and lining the corporate coffers. It's about finding ways to overcome barriers to learning by using, mashing and melding the available (usually free) tools. It's dealing with lack of hardware by dragging things out of the bin and re-jigging them until they do what's needed. Teachers have always done this in the classroom with the resources they've been supplied with, supplementing them with their own money, time and ingenuity. Edupunk brings this into the 21st century teaching and learning environment.

Steve Wheeler suggests taking it further-

"I would even go as far as to claim that Edupunk teachers should be challenging the curricula they are required to teach, and especially the assessment methods that are imposed from on high. These are the structures that constrain education and stop learners from achieving their full potential."* Read more here.

Lurking
Digressing slightly, Mr Wheeler's response to a question, describing lurking as "legitimate peripheral participation" rang so true for me. For many it is a prerequisite to contributing. In my case lurking has led to commenting, connecting, collaborating and creating... participating and learning.

A year ago I wouldn't have dreamed of contributing here, but now I feel part of a global community, connected enough to comment and feeling that I have found my voice.

So what do you think? Does Edupunk encompass any of your teaching/learning? Were you or are you a longtime lurker?

More Edupunk below-

http://www.slideshare.net/timbuckteeth/edupunk-presentation
http://ubernoggin.com/archives/434 3 videos to watch

*from http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.com/2009/04/can-anybody-hear-me.html

Talking the Talk

Earlier this week I left a comment (which I later turned into a blogpost) on this post by @wmchamberlain and was invited, via Twitter, to be a contributor at "At the Teacher's Desk" As I'd already identified audio and video of myself as a personal dislike I decided that the first step in "walking the talk" would be to use an audio-post as my first contibution to the blog.

Click to play*

This is my speaking voice; I mean this is the voice I use at school in class and with colleagues. I made a conscious effort to change and modify the way I spoke at teachers college 10 years ago. Out of school it’s a little more relaxed, but I maintain the same inflections, vocabulary and syntax. I still encounter occasional blank looks at particular phrases and sometimes I can see people ruminating, trying to decode exactly what I just said, because I used a familiar word in an unfamiliar context, but most of the time my altered English voice serves me well.

But I’m not English. I’m a Yorkshireman. I’m Yorkshire, a tyke. This is my real voice. It’s flatter and my Yorkshire accent is broader. I drop my aitches, miss out words like ‘the’ and the letter T and replace them with a glottal stop. Most vowels become short vowels, others undergo a shift, taking on other vowel sounds. Some words with a double O sound in become U and others are extended into diphthongs. Ends of words are shortened or clipped and unfamiliar dialect words may be used instead of Standard English words. Right doesn’t sound like write, Mother or mum stays much the same, but father is different, dad is not. Boys and girls are lads and lasses who like to play football on the grass and if a lad scored a goal he’d be really proud of himself. They might have brought something for their lunch, but if they haven’t brought anything they’ll have nothing to eat and will be hungry on the way home.

How many times have you heard an adult say, “I hate the sound of my own voice.” Someone (@klandmiles in Singapore) tweeted on Twitter last week, “Of course you hate the sound of your own voice, it’s in the rules.”

I wonder how children hear themselves. So do kids hate the sound of their own voice? Or do they listen and think, “Hey! That’s me!”

We expect children to want to record themselves on audio or video and many of them do, but a small percentage of them will feel as I still do...I hate the sound of my own voice. What can we do to nurture these students? How can we build their confidence and encourage them to participate and create in this way? Do they have to?

Michael/@teachernz

*audio recorded on a Nokia N95, three main takes and edited in Audacity