Last week – as are most weeks – was a waveform.  Lots of crests and troughs (how’s that for Grade 8 Science!) as I work with learners – teachers and students – to promote the school shift.

A couple of highlights are worth mentioning, however.  First of all, last week I had a wonderful (yet brief) conversation with two new pre-service teachers who have just arrived at our school the week previous from St. Thomas University for an eight-week internship.  I had met both of them before as I had spoke to their class about blogging as a literacy tool previously and I know one of them from my church.

This conversation was encouraging.  We spoke briefly about what they saw in their brief exposure to our school. One had read my previous blog post on how we value technology in our business and government, but not in education.  She noted – rightly of course – that it goes far beyond simply putting technology in the hands of teachers, they need to learn skills and – more importantly – shift their mindset.  She writes on her course reflective blog (which is closed, but I am sure she won’t mind sharing)…

My point is that  it is not just about having technology in schools but about educating teachers about how technology can be used to enhance teaching,  to intensify course content and to provide students a unique way to experience learning.

She goes on to point out that the barrier is about more than just skills, but about changing the narrative of learning to one that reflects our new global reality.

I believe that technology is changing the traditional teacher- student interface. Students no longer rely exclusively on their educators to provide them with information and knowledge, they know how to seek out that content elsewhere. I believe that what students need are educators who can move beyond rote memory and teacher centered classrooms to provide students with a skill set to use technology effectively to decipher true from false and to think critically about the information that they are accessing. Of course the basics of schooling should not be overlooked math and science are important, reading and writing are essential, physical education can not be overlooked and of course the need to learn about social studies in a global world is more necessary than ever before. The ways that students experience this learning can be transformed and positively enriched by the use of technology.

You see, the sad fact is that – even in a school as rich as our 1:1 project – some teachers just don’t want to get it.  They haven’t seen the shift because they don’t understand that when kids walk out our doors and hit the streets and their homes, they are powered and connected beyond their comprehension.  They don’t want to get that making widgits in a plant for a living is just not in the cards anymore.  Most jobs of our parents will be automated or outsourced.  For the digital generation, survival will mean being able to manage information, connect to their worlds to learn and manage / promote their own digital footprint. I am sure they know kids have changed, the world has changed, but they don’t want to change!

Which brings me to the trough.  This coming Friday is a scheduled school-based PD day for our staff.  As one of the people charged with helping teachers roll the stone up the hill, I proposed a 21st century learning camp, where staff would participate in a number of activities designed to begin conversations around three critical questions; what are we doing to support information literacy skills for our students – as opposed to our past; what are we doing to promote students developing and managing their own personal learning networks; and what are we doing to help students effectively manage their digital footprint?

Response from most was “sounds cool”, but some just rolled their eyes, shook their heads and wanted to know why they had to take part.  They didn’t see the point.

But, alas, we forge ahead.  The day is planned. The dance begins.  Maybe, just maybe, young teachers like our new duo, will carry the day.  Like grapes, knowledge tends to grow in clusters.

It’s can’t be too soon.

Technorati tags: technology, education, whipple, learning

Increasingly, I have been using twitter as my primary networking tool.  It is just easier, quicker, less painful.  But it’s also less intensive and frankly, it’s selfish.  You see, twitter is about me and the people I choose to connect with.  It is tremendously powerful, but does little to help share the ideas I want to promote amongst a larger group.

Case in point – a couple of weeks ago I received an email from Adam Dionne, a grade five teacher in our District. He wanted to let me know that, after reading a post a while back on my blog, he had started recording Math lessons to share via a wiki with his students and their families.  He is using the recording software in the SMART Board tools. Cool stuff.

I had a chance to chat briefly with Adam yesterday at his school.  He tells me that feedback from parents has been very positive and that students are using the videos to reinforce class learning at home.

He set up a channel on TeacherTube, where all his videos are posted.  I know he’s just started and things will change as he learns and adapts, but this spirit of innovation and sharing is exactly the mindset we need amongst teachers in order to prepare our students for their future.  While the immediate project is still teacher-centered, he is already looking at student created videos on the channel, shared with the world via a wiki. Great stuff!

It’s stories like this that remind me that we need to share.  As Will Richardson’s latest post notes, sharing is powerful – for all learners.  Breaking into the locked filing cabinet syndrome of the past is crucial if we are to serve our kids best.

I am also reminded that, while Twitter is powerful it’s also tremendously selfish, and regardless of how many people I touch with blogging, just one idea shared is worth the effort.

Technorati tags: technology, education, whipple, learning

I must admit, we are spoiled in New Brunswick. As I get to connect with learning leaders from across North America and around the world, I realize just how much further ahead of the curve we here in my home province are in terms of creating flatter learning spaces for our students. We have wireless broadband into every school, every teacher has a laptop, and a few schools even have 1:1 projects. But – and there’s always a but – I sense a bit of a stall.

A couple of stories on the local newswire caught my eye in the past week. First of all, Premier Shawn Graham announced that his government will be implementing a plan to bring residential high-speed Internet to EVERY household in the province in the coming year. Despite not being in such bad shape – over 95% of homes currently have access to broadband – this vision will do much to level the playing field for those citizens who live in the more rural and remote areas of the province. As we move forward, access to web-based tools and services will be as important – maybe even more – than is a telephone currently.

Then, just yesterday, my hometown of Fredericton was one of four Canadian cities named as one of the 21 smartest cities in the world.  In addition, our sister city of Moncton – just over an hour away – was included in the list.  This speaks highly of the vision and innovation of both public and private sector leaders at all levels.  I’ve written about this before, but one of the crowning jewels in Fredericton’s municipal infrastructure is it’s Fred-e-zone, a FREE, city-wide wireless network.  Civic leaders view this investment as basic as sidewalks, streets, water and sewer.  Citizens (including our students) and visitors can access this network anytime for work, play or learning.  Viewing technology as a basic service shows tremendous vision of the future needs of our community.

So, our communities are Smart (connected), but what about our schools.  Granted, the school I am most closely associated with is 1:1, but this is the exception.  Most of our schools struggle with access.  Teachers have computers, but most schools have huge students/computer ratios.

Teachers approach me all the time about doing connected, collaborative projects.  The barrier?…access.  Many schools have no access outside the labs they use to “teach computers”.  Others have one writing/research lab shared amongst a couple dozen classes.  With the demands of learning in the 21st century, one class a week just won’t cut it anymore.

What about home?  Just as a measure, over 95% of students at my school currently have high-speed Internet computer access at home. We place a huge reliance on this resource as many teachers require students to do web-based homework in one form or another.  We do try and make allowances for those students who legitimately have access issues but, frankly, access to the web is as necessary a basis service as telehone and television.  But unless they can find other avenues for students within the school, the other buildings can’t depend on home access to carry learning.

So, where does that leave education?  We are preparing our kids to work, play and learn in a connected world, but what are our schools doing to support their learning towards this end?  Do teachers have the resources to teach students how to safely and effectively live in this world? We can start by not resting on our laurels.  Keep moving.  Drive 1:1 across the province from 7-12.  Have laptop pods or labs in every K-6 school. Keep the student/computer ratio lower than 5:1. Our kids are connected at home.  They will be connected when they leave.  They need to be connected at school.

As Chris Lehmann so aptly states, “School is not practice for real life, it IS real life”.

Do our schools reflect this?

Technorati tags: technology, education, whipple, learning

Photo credit: Fibre Optic, Creative Commons non-commercial use, Uploaded to Flickr on February 4, 2008 by Twilight Jones

Technorati tags: technology, education, whipple, learning, sheryl nussbaum-beach, actem, MaineEd08

technology, education, whipple, learning, sheryl nussbaum-beach, actem, MaineEd08

I have been sitting on this for a few days after originally seeing it on Jeff Utecht’s blog.  I wasn’t sure how to present it without appearing critical of current administrators – but I think it has too valuable a message not to share.

Chris Lehmann is Principal at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia.  This presentation – part of a series called Ignite Philly where presenters get 5 minutes and 20 slides of 15 seconds each – captures his passion and vision for transforming schools.  Every educational leader needs to see this and – hopefully – capture some of his vision and make it part of their own.

There are many types of administrators that I get to work with. Some don’t get the need to transform. Others know something has to happen, but aren’t sure what.  Yet others (the majority) seem to even see what needs to happen in general terms but don’t live it.

Chris lives it!  He is a living example of administrator 2.0 – one who is actively demanding change in their building and walking the talk.  We need more visionaries like Chris.  I am sure he has received many applications from like-minded learning leaders the last few days.,

tags: technology, education, whipple, learning, chris lehmann, ignitephilly

As a district employee, I am assigned to a number of schools.  My role is to help teachers and students leverage the technology they have available to create connected and information-rich learning environments. I have four schools that I am assigned to; all with some degree of technology access for teachers.  I am particularly excited about working with one that will be transitioning into a brand new building next year, expected to be very technology-rich, where my role will be to help prepare staff for the new environment.

However, my real love remains with the 1:1 laptop school, whose program has been such a part of my life since it was started six years ago! From a pilot project with two classes to it’s current mature state of almost 600 student laptops in 21 classes, this program has been near and dear to me as an educator – as evidenced by my current role as Technology Mentor, where I work with teachers developing strategies and learning projects.  It’s exciting and the staff are amazing to work with!

Now it’s official.  After a couple of weeks of discussions back and forth and our district offering their support, Nashwaaksis Middle School has been named as the School Spotlight Award recipient for the 2009 Laptop Institute in Memphis, Tennessee.  This is an amazing international conference for any school who has, or is considering, a 1:1 student laptop program.

After attending the conference for the past three years – last year I was finally able to scrape up funding for 8 staff to attend as well – Stewart Crais emailed a while back and asked if “Nasis Middle” would be interested in being the Spotlight School for next summer.  Considering the previous spotlight schools included such prestigious international private schools such as the American School of Bombay and the Urban School of San Francisco, it was gratifying that a public school in a small town in eastern Canada could/would be chosen.

Upon reflection, it speaks much to the flattening of the world of learning.  Much like students in any area of the world are now being given access to information and learning – every teacher should be made to read Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat – so too can schools in less profiled areas gain recognition for their efforts in flattening their classrooms for students.

It also speaks to the quality of the staff at Nasis Middle.  They work hard and genuinely care about the students.  They are literally lining up for the opportunity to present and share their story of learning with their students.  The unfortunate part is that we will only be able to bring about half of those who are offering to share.  I am so proud of the all and they all deserve to go!

This is exciting.  If you are in a 1:1 school, or are considering a 1:1 or COW (Computers on Wheels) laptop program, please consider joining us and hear our story in Memphis in July.

tags: technology, education, whipple, learning, laptopinstitute, laptop

As K12 Online kicks off this week, there is still a value in f2f networking in a more traditional conference setting.  I am excited this week as I’ll get a chance to pop across the border to visit with our friendly neighbors in the State of Maine as they play host to the annual MAINEducation Technology Conference.

Of course, nobody should be surprised that this is a great event, what with all the amazing stuff coming out of Maine’s universal 1:1 laptop program.  This year’s event should be no different, with Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach serving up the keynote and Dr. Tim Tyson – who did the closing keynote at NECC in 2007 – on tap as a featured presenter.

While the sessions look great, it’s always about the conversations.  I learn much more about the new story of learning just sitting around a table or a foyer talking to fellow learners.

Maine is new territory for me.  Should be fun!

If you are going to be at ACTEM, drop me a line.  Would love to chat!

tags: technology, education, whipple, learning, ACTEM, Sheryl Nussbaun Beach, Tim Tyson

I don’t consider myself a great photographer, but I do like to drag my camera around when travelling.  Last summer my wife and I had a wonderful trip to New Orleans, and one day I might even get some of my pics of the French Quarter and the swamp printed and framed.

So, it came as a surprise last week when I ventured into my Flickr account for the first time in a while and noticed that I actually had an email in the mailbox.  Truth is, I hadn’t really paid much attention to the mailbox icon before.

Seems that someone – specifically the good folks that produce Schmap City Guides– had noticed one of my photos from a Boston excursion my wife and I took last summer and was looking for permission to include it in their latest offering on Beantown.  Immediately, I saw huge windfalls of cash – maybe I could even retire!  But alas, further reading saw no offer of huge royalties

From: Emma Williams

Subject: Schmap: Boston Photo Short List

I am writing to let you know that one of your photos has been short-listed for inclusion in the fifth edition of our Schmap Boston Guide, to be published at the end of this month.

http://www.schmap.com

Clicking this link will take you to a page where you can:
i) See which of your photos has been short-listed.
ii) Submit or withdraw your photo from our final selection phase.
iii) Learn how we credit photos in our Schmap Guides.
iv) Browse online or download the fourth edition of our Schmap Boston Guide.

While we offer no payment for publication, many photographers are pleased to submit their photos, as Schmap Guides give their work recognition and wide exposure, and are free of charge to readers. Photos are published at a maximum width of 150 pixels, are clearly attributed, and link to high-resolution originals at Flickr.

Our submission deadline is Sunday, September 14. If you happen to be reading this message after this date, please still click on the link above (our Schmap Guides are updated frequently – photos submitted after this deadline will be considered for later releases).

Best regards,

Emma Williams

I was too late to grant permission for the next edition, but was only too happy to share for upcoming versions.  In fact, it was kinda cool to think that a photo I took might actually be used by someone – for anything!

Only through the power of web-based sharing could this have happened.  The new world is connected and opportunities abound.  What if a student dreamed of a career in photography?  The ability to use SN sites to share / promote their work is powerful – very flattening!

tags: technology, education, whipple, learning, schmap, boston

For many, connecting to people and ideas using new forms of communication and media has created a new definition of how we learn.  Sharing ideas with others through blogs, twitter and other tools is a powerful experience.

Adding to the possibilities comes a new initiative from Google called Project 10 to the 100.  Simply put, they are soliciting new ideas from individuals across a broad swath of areas that can be developed into sustainable outputs that can help others.  Submissions will be collaboratively and collectively judged and financial support offered to the most beneficial ideas.

Submissions will be judged in the categories of community, opportunity, energy,environment, health, education, shelter and “everything else”.

So, this begs the question, as educators, what does this mean?  I wrote a while back about how Apple revolutionized the music industry by redefining the primary music delivery model after the traditional music industry failed to measure and meet customer expectations in a new information landscape.  Could this be the opportunity for an idea – or a few ideas – that might prove to have the same dramatic effect on the story education?

Let the ideas flow.

tags: technology, education, whipple, learning, project10tothe100