"PLNs are like lightning bugs..." for the rest of the quote and the website of an amazing person, follow the link below...
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Stages of PLN Adoption
An interesting link that discusses the stage of PLN adoption and gives an interesting insight into the benefits, how to develop and manage it.
I think I'm at Stage 3 but trying really hard to work on Stages 4 and 5!!
See what you think. Would love to read your thoughts.
Website: The Thinking Stick. Recommended reading
Saturday, March 26, 2011
What eLearning Is...And Is Not
A great clarification of what eLearning is and isn't.
So that makes me think... is the definition of mLearning too narrow? Please share your thoughts.
I also asked the children today what THEY thought eLearning was. I was completely blown away. They talked about collaboration / working together, sharing with other around the world, environmental, exploring and many other definitions!!
Many are going to blog about their thoughts and there is also a post on the classroom blog about their eLearning thoughts. The future is definitely in great hands if we have thinkers like these!!
Preparing for the 21st Century Ten Years On
Reflections on a reading from Education Today - author tbc
Pondering on what I do each day in the classroom. Am I teaching the children how to think or am I teaching them what to think. I would really like to be certain that it is the former rather than the latter.
We have talked about this a lot in class - and over the years. It's always something that has interested me. I don't want the students I teach to look to me for the answers, I may not have them. I don't want them to take what I say as gospel, it may not be so. I don't want them to give up on a task or do it a certain way just because they think it is the way I want it done, my thoughts, like theirs may and should change.
I loved the following quote as it really rang true with my beliefs about teaching and learning:
"While it is true '21st century skills' do have to do with adapting to new technologies effectively it has much, much more to do with being able to think deeply about topics, solving complex problems, and being capable of synthesising information to form new solutions. If kids go through school unable to practise these skills, then everything else has been for naught." (p 24)
Being a 21st century learner is not just about the ICTs - they are just tools. If our students and we as teachers, haven't got the skills of the Key Competencies to back up the use of the tools, then we lose the potential, relevance and meaning of what being a true 21st century learner is and can be.
As teachers and learners, we "...cannot abandon our efforts to give our students what they will need to help them be successful in learning and life, (no matter what our frustrations may be)." (p 25)
Are Schools Becoming Irrelevant to Today's Society?
Reflections on an article by Dr Scott McLeod in Education Today
"Students needs to be entering the workforce empowered to use effective thinking, be problem solvers, work collaboratively, creatively, and be able to be analytical and adaptable." (p 9)
Are we delivering 'something else' to meet the needs of the 21st century learner or are we just delivering 'more of the same' with fancy gadgets attached. I'm playing devil's advocate here, but how different really is the Activboard from the Blackboard? (That should liven up the discussion).
To truly transform what we do, we need to be innovative, creative and critical thinkers. We need to help our students develop the skills they need in a rapidly changing environment. Scott McLeod discusses the rapid changes that are happening at an astonishing rate in every occupation; "... every single one is being or has been transformed by the information revolution we are now living in." (p8)
So what are we doing on a day to day basis that will help our students survive and thrive in the future? How do we educate for jobs that don't yet exist? How do we incorporate eLearning and mLearning into our education system so that we can guarantee that what we do each day matches up and relates to the experiences our students have outside of school. Is the gap become too wide or are we the change-makers who are closing it?
What are we doing now to guide our students in the development of critical, creative, collaborative learning that is relevant, and links to the world outside our classroom? These are also the questions and concerns of Sir Ken Robinson. (Check out his latest presentation on this blog).
How do we take the school communities along with us on this journey? Is it through the children leading the 'teaching'? What about workshops being run by the students? Can we begin to educate through the blogs if the meaning and learning is clear on them?
The digital world is now the real world, "Our kids can do amazing things if we turn them loose with appropriate tools, guidance and resources." (p 9).
My belief is that it is through these tools that our students can become critically creative and innovative problem-solvers who can make their own 'dents' in the world.
I Don't Use a Reflective Journal Anymore
Over the years, I've used a reflective learning journal to record my thoughts, observations, questions and to reflect on what works - and what doesn't or hasn't worked - in my teaching and learning.
I've now stopped this!
So what do I do instead? I blog.
Why?
Blogging has allowed me to be able to go back to posts I've written to rethink ideas, to wonder about new information and add to what I already know. I couldn't do that with a journal - how would I ever find the page, let alone the right journal. I began to question what the relevance of a traditional journal was in my teaching and learning. To be honest, the relevance wasn't there.
With a blog, however, I can collaborate with others, learn new ideas, discuss and debate educational issues, walk the walk of a reflective practitioner, improve my practice through connecting with others, add to the world-wide discussions on education, take professional discussion and development to the next level. Who else would see my traditional journal - no one really. Now, others read what I write, contribute, collaborate and challenge my thinking on a wide range of issues.
I couldn't even begin to list the educators who have inspired me through their blogs and through the connections on Twitter, but I can add them as a list of blogs I follow on my sidebar!
Please check them out. There are some pretty inspiring, creative and critical thinkers out there. Please join us!
If you want to read more on why educators should blog and use Twitter, check out:
@justintarte on Twitter
Or, check out his blog - link on my blog list. If you'd like to know more about the benefits of Twitter, please check out the post on this blog.
Sir Ken Robinson: Out of Our Minds - Learning to be Creative
Another of Sir Ken's inspiring talks. Talking about where we are headed in education and that we need to keep in mind the most important factors in education - the relationship between the teacher and the learner and that, sometimes, the two are interchangeable - sometimes the roles change.
He shares his concerns about where our education system is headed. We need to keep in mind the diversity of people and fight for this in education. It's not about the narrow 'subjects'.
Purposes of education, (3)
- Personal - connect people with their own possibility. Personalised Education.
- Cultural - need an education process that helps us understand our own and others' cultures.
- Economic
From Learning Without Frontiers.
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