The exam begins with a standard stimulus statement on the task sheet (which I distributed in hard copy this year – bleh, should have been digitally).  The students are required over the course of the week to enter 4 blogposts, and to make 10 constructive comments on other blogs.  After the initial blogpost, they are required to respond to the comments made by their peers and selected invited guests. Despite a slow start to the process, they blogging is happening.  The “unseen” concept is the comments and questions they will receive and respond to.  I don’t think you can get anymore unplanned than that.  You can access a copy of the task here.

What I really like seeing is the (virtual) interaction between class members, and the pride they take in their blogs.  Each student is genuinely excited when one of the invited guests leaves a comment on their blog.  The interaction demonstrates active learning from each other.  They are disagreeing or supporting, then validating with evidence.  I think they are enjoying this alternate approach.

There are some real advantages for me as the teacher to this approach.  Firstly, tracking of students is simple using the statistics function of our LMS (BlackBoard).  I can see how often they enter the space, and compare this with writing in the space.  Secondly, this provides a real world connection as invited guests are viewing and commenting on the blogs.  However, I think this approach is actually saving me time.  I go into each blog and comment, which is providing feedback as they progress.  I can “mark” their responses as we go.  This appears to be a very efficient method of assessment.

At this point, I would definitely change how the task stimulus was presented and distributed.  With the range of Web 2.0 tools available I definitely could have made it more relevant than words written on paper.  Its an exciting adventure, I’m enjoying watching it evolve.

I can’t believe this approach, and it devastates me that it receives prominent coverage by the media.  Lets all rejoice in schools doing all they can to turn back evolution and progress by banning a powerful learning device.  Are they serious?

Claims within the report state that the ban has reduced cyberbullying, improved behaviour and increased respect for teachers.  I for one would certainly like to see the data for that.  Imagine if the staff instead looked to manage the mobile phone as a learning device (much like they already do for TV, internet, computers, whiteboards, paper).  Instead of reducing behaviour problems they may increase engagement in learning and achievement of their students.

I actively encourage mobile phone use in my classes, and I can manage their use and the relationships of my students to ensure there is no bullying.  To suggest a device is responsible for bullying is ridiculous.  Phones don’t bully people, people bully people.  So while we are at it why not take away their pens.  We wouldn’t want them writing messages to each other.

I applaud the school for taking action to improve the learning environment of their students and working environment of their staff, but think they re woefully off target in their chosen action.

Firstly, just what is cerebration.  No its not a mispell, or a speech impediment.  Cerebration is essentially to think about thinking.

Secondly, older folk such as myself should recognise the similarity to a 60s rock song (even though I was born in the 70s this particular song is one of my favourites).

So enjoy the fresh approach.

Firstly, I set my students up with portable FireFox on their USB memory stick or in a folder on their network storage.  Portable FireFox allows me to install two essential addons for research; Zotero and FoxIt Toolbar.  I have blogged about Zotero previously, and have recorded podcasts on both of these tools also.

I will gather a range of resources for research.  Using the FoxIt toolbar in FireFox, I can annotate and highlight PDF files.  If I then choose to “Save As”, all markups will be maintained.  I use this to add in bookmarks and highlights for important information.  When students open the file, they can quickly navigate to what I consider important information within the document.

As an extension to this concept, when students are working on group projects, they can markup their research individually or collaboratively.  If it is a web page they wish to markup, they simply print using PDF Creator and save the page as a PDF file.  Then they open the file in FireFox and markup.

Zotero allows them to create collections of resources, which can include webpages and PDF files.  This ensures wherever they are using Portable FireFox they can access their research.

If I build a collection in Zotero, I can export it as a file with attachments, and then distribute that to my students.  They simply import the collection into their Zotero and they have my collection ready to go.  This is also useful when they share research with each other.  Simply export the collection and share.

Zotero can also publish a bibliography.  Users need to ensure the information is recorded in the Zotero reference section, but this function enables accurate bibliographies.

And best of all, these tools are free.

Enable student research, and you can enable student achievement.

If you would rather watch this as a screencast, please refer to my wiki.

I have spent considerable time this week working on the tools, in preference to the pedagogy.  In particular installing software for IWBs onto teacher laptops and showing teachers how to connect their laptop to projectors and printers.  Not exactly what I had in mind when my administration offered me a position of eLearning support.  However, an amazing thing has happened.  Teachers are talking.  Conversations about pedagogy have emerged around the tools enabled.  So I listen and think “What is more important here, the tool or the pedagogy.”

Its at this point I have one of those “aaahhh” moments.  In my pet subject of Health Education we often discuss the need to enable a population to change health behaviours and outcomes by providing them with the skills, knowledge, support and services.  Why should the development of digital pedagogy be any different?  Having been through this process, how can I enable the development of digital pedagogy?

Skills and knowledge – I need to tap into them, their teaching colleagues and HODs to ensure this is maximised.  The Ways of Working and Core Curriculum Elements will provide a base for discussions about pedagogy as they should be consistent across subject disciplines.

Support and services – getting the tools to work, providing access.  But I think there is more to it than this.  There needs to be an environment where teachers can experiment, and fail.  Although I am looking for an alternative word to fail, as that insinuates they have done something wrong.  But there needs to be support for trial and refinement.

I need to go and plan my enabling approach.  I’m ecstatic that setting up IWB software has sparked conversations about pedagogy.  There have even been decisions about what the IWB would not be useful for.

Social bookmarking allows others to view and search your bookmarks.  Why is this a benefit?  If I trust someone, then searching through their bookmarks on a specific search term will be more effective than searching through a global search engine.  Shift this focus to education, and I can provide a similar service for my students.  They can search through my bookmarks and be confident the sites I’ve tagged I already feel are worthwhile.

Diigo allows users to join groups, and share bookmarks through a notification system to other users within the group.  It is through Diigo that I have discovered the OZ/NZ teacher group, an active and sharing community of educators.

Diigo supports educator accounts, which protects student identities from all users.  This means they can see each other’s bookmarks, and their teacher’s bookmarks.  All other users cannot see into this private group.

Diigo allows highlighting of web pages, and this highlighting remains when viewed through Diigo log in.  Accompanying this is commenting.  This functionality allows me as a teacher to highlight and annotate web pages for students to view.  I can then house a discussion forum within Diigo responding to the stimulus (although I choose to house these discussions in a Learning Place Project Room).  This is the key functionality that convinced me to move from Delicious.

I have found Diigo enhances student research, and education within my classes.  I encourage you, if you have not already, join Diigo.

So how do I connect?  In truth, there are many and varied ways.  I will present these as a list of things to do to ensure enhancement of collaborative knowledge.

1. Comment on others’ blogs.
2. Contribute to a public wiki.
3. Join Twitter – follow someone you have some knowledge of and follow their followers
4. Find, join and contribute to relevant email discussion lists.
5. Keep your email address book heavy yet informed.
6. Bookmark socially.
7. Converse

I have made productive connections through all of these methods.  I am comfortable not knowing everything I need to know, I can find the information when I want it.

What makes this possible – people sharing.  I am constantly amazed at the generosity of other educators out there who willingly and freely share advice and information to any who seek it.  It is this generosity and ensures connectivism and transformative learning is possible.

So, I urge you, connect.  And learn.

I have an educational goal this year, and that is to improve knowledge and practice across the school with digital material that addresses copyright.  This means extending beyond my classes and educating students and teachers in general.  I plan to do this by influencing those I have considerable access to, and encouraging them to “spread the word.”

I have blogged previously about the set up of portable Firefox for my students so they can install research tools that will enable them to work more effectively.  Once I instruct them further on copyright, and expose them to creative commons, they can add a creative commons search to the inbuilt search bar options within Firefox.  Also, the use of Zotero and the notebooks within will encourage storage of attribution information.

I am also mentoring a group of dedicated teachers through a certification entitled the ICT Pedagogical License.  I will encourage this group to explore the issues of copyright and creative commons through easy to understand resources, such as Wikipedia, the Creative Commons Site, the Australian Copyright Council and podcasts by Rodd Lucier of The Clever Sheep.  There is a site specifically established for copyright issues in schools, Smartcopying.  Thanks to @gkat for poiding me with this link.

The most significant action I can take, is to model correct use of copyrighted material, and following creative commons guidelines.  This will mean more work and more time in preparation initially, but is a worthy educational cause.