MLE Session 2: Getting the Most Out of Your Students in the Networked World

MLE Session 2: Getting the Most Out of Your Students in the Networked World

MLE Session 2 Handout

Links Used During Session

Session 2 Presentation (Phoenix videos out of intended order…)

My second presentation at MLE2010 was on Getting the Most Out of Your Students.  It focused on the rational behind changing our classroom practice through the use of technology. This was a jam-packed session with information ranging from Digital Natives/Immigrants/More, Filtering, Remix Culture, Verifying Information Online, Wikipedia, and Building a PLN.

We started with a look at Wes Fryer’s impressions on Digital Natives/Immigrants/Voyeurs/Refugees.  I made sure to discuss my views on the problems with Prensky’s oversimplified view of Natives/Immigrants.  I think this false dichotomy causes problems for educators who are told they will “never get it” like their students. The Fryer Spectrum of Digital Immersion (bet he’d love to see it called that) gives a much more accurate picture, especially since it’s specific to individual tools/technologies.

We then moved toward a discussion of the new media landscape presented by Clay Shirky in “Here Comes Everybody”.  People really seemed to like the idea of computers putting the power of a printing press, music studio, and video production unit into their student’s hands. We had a wonderful discussion of the similarities between verifying information online and verifying information in Dead Tree resources in the past.

We then moved on to discussing how to verify information on a Wikipedia entry, looked at the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus and other similar sites, and then into a discussion of how and WHY to build a Personal Learning Network.

This session could have used an extra 30 to 45 minutes (I’m a bit of an over-planner) but I think I hit many of the high points trying to introduce a group of educators to the ideas of how our students are different.

Would love to know your thoughts on the presentation and handouts.

NCMSA10: IMPACT and Tech in 20

Below you will find some notes from our session on IMPACT and Tech in 20 at BCMS.  My apologies for not having the video archive that I expected to have from the Live Stream of our session.  Something was wonky with the audio, so unless you want to listen to robotic sounding voices for an hour, I think it’s best kept deep in the archives.

Two Pronged Approach

• Monthly 90 minute grade level media and technology meetings…
• Weekly Tech in 20 Sessions on Tuesday afternoons

Monthly Meetings

• Allow grade level conversations about tools and strategies to be used in the classroom
• Focus on the use of media and technology within our building
• Occasionally include guest speakers for additional professional development

Sample Topics

• Verifying Information on the Web
• Google Desktop
• Creating a Voicethread
• Big 6 Research Method
• Blogs as a Classroom Webpage

Tech in 20

• 20 minute sessions held weekly on Tuesday afternoons
• Sessions are livestreamed and recorded for staff to view at a later date and time
• Focus on introducing topics that can be discussed deeper during monthly meetings
• Sessions are archived at http://sites.google.com/site/bcmstechin20

Tools Needed

• Google Site
• Livestreaming service like: Justin.tv, uStream.tv, or Livestream.com
• Webcam (We use a Logitech Quickcam which can be purchased for ~$50)
• Staff Interest Survey – used to determine the direction of the first sessions of Tech in 20

Below you will find a slidecast of the Tech in 20 portion of our session.  This is the best I could do as a replacement for our botched livestream. Hopefully you will find the information useful in setting up your 20 minute staff development program.

Thanks to all those who attended our session. If you have further questions, please feel free to share them in the comments or email me!