Radio Reaps Rewards at Texas High School

When I was in college, I had a little radio program called, "Rainbow Connection". At that time, it had no other connotation other than Kermit the frog's song, and I loved the colors of a rainbow. If I could have become a D.J., I would have. I even made a demo tape for a local station here in California that had advertised for new talent. Unfortunately, I was too chicken to send it in...could have been a lost opportunity.

This high school offers students training and online radio experience. How wonderful! The interviewer questions whether training students in radio in the age of the iPod has any relevance to young peoples' lives? He asks, "Isn't this like training them to be steelworkers or something?" His question is relevant. Due to the amazing advances in technology, is radio becoming outdated?

Personally, I love radio, especially talk radio. Podcasts are great, but isn't radio a bit like an old-fashioned podcast that is 'live'? Hopefully there will be a place for both. I wish my high school had had such a program! Thankfully I had the experience for a short time in college and it is still one of my fondest memories. I think I even had a few fans...memories!

Week 4 - Blog Posting #8 -Reflection on Blogging

Week 4 - Blog Posting #7 -Second Life

While I studied Spanish in Spain, we were each assigned an intercambio, or exchange, student friend from Spain. Part of our immersion experience took place in the classroom setting, of course, but most application took place within those personal relationships. I learned Spanish from my Spanish friend, and he learned English from me. Learning was enhanced through living, breathing, real-world experiences with other people.

Teaching languages works best when combined with social interaction. As an educator of English language learners, I know that foundational best practices for acquiring new language skills include discussion, conversations, and familiarity with social situations. Interaction is part of the learning process. Also included are culture, historical connections, and gestures that vary from culture to culture.

Second life is a free online virtual international community that offers a place where travel is a click away, interaction with people from around the world is possible, and where educational experiences include not only language learning, but every content area imaginable. My first time in Second Life I heard at least three different languages being spoken. My second time there, I met a group of people on Avatar Island that helped me navigate this new world, find my new avatar personality, and play a little.

My first month in Full Sail University's master's in Education Media Design and Technology threw me into a project that required me to explore historical places in Second Life. Four of us searched and teleported across many virtual oceans to places like Caledonia by the Sea, Sparta in Greece, and the Great Wall of China. On my own, I found a Shinto Temple, a Geisha Training Center, and simply fun places like fairy lands and free clothes shopping. One group I joined at the time was Chinoesfera, a group that studies about Asia.

Second Life is a lot of fun and has greater learning possibilities when interaction is involved, at least for me. When I have just gone on to explore without an agenda or a friend to meet, it was actually kind of lonely. Wandering randomly to explore is enjoyable, yet starts to lose some appeal when many places are quite empty. It can be like going to a great museum with no one there to share the experience.

I believe that the more effective use of Second Life is with learning communities. Specifying purposes makes the experiences more meaningful, especially as an educational tool. A lecture in Second Life about volcanic activity next to a virtual volcano would be much more effective than a basic classroom chat. The Deputy Chief Technology Officer at the White House, Beth Noveck, utilized Second Life in July of this year. Her discussion was open to both a live and a virtual audience at Second Life's MacArthur Island conference amphitheater (Second Life Blogs, July 21, 2009).

Many types of groups are available on Second Life. Although I am far from an expert at this point, here are a few suggestions for educators:

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)

Society for International Education Training and Research (SIETAR) on Second Life

-SIETAR Web page and Blogs

Multiple Intelligence on Second Life

Blooms Taxonomy on Second Life

Finally, this video makes educational uses of Second Life very clear:

Week 3 - Blog Posting #6 -Communities of Practice-Things that Matter

Communities of practice develop around things that matter to people.

Communities of Practice: Learning as a Social System by Etienne Wenger

[Published in the "Systems Thinker," June 1998]

Paxton Hood mused, Be as careful of the books you read, as of the company you keep; for your habits and character will be as much influenced by the former as by the latter. The company you keep shares ideas, gestures, support or rejection, and affects your thinking. The adage garbage in, garbage out holds true. The opposite could also be said, virtue in, virtue out.

Focusing on the virtues available is the goal. Skills are learned by association with people who are skilled. The simple age-old use of apprenticeships is an example of the power of this concept.

Hobbies offer a community of practice where both social and learning take place. My Aunt Pat has been taking painting classes in china and canvas for years. She has created some wonderful works of art and gained friendships as well. Hobbies can often lead to employment opportunities as well as the development of skills needed for the workplace and life.

Professional communities of practice bring people together to share knowledge, build rapport, solve problems, and enhance skills. The power of collaboration is key. When professionals gather their collective knowledge, the strength comes not only from the numbers, but the huge amount of brain energy.

Even in the Christian Bible, God mentions the power of collective planning in Genesis 11:5-6 (New International Version) 5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The Lord said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them." A testimony to the amazing potential of the collective knowledge and ingenuity of people who work cooperatively is here!

An educator community of practice is Tapped In. This is a great name for this community of teachers that share knowledge and create a professional learning network. The first place that interested me was their link to What can educators do here? The following is their list:

*Plan and conduct learning projects with colleagues and students.

*Participate in or lead topical discussion and groups.

*Manage and attend online courses offered by TPD providers.

*Mentor other educators.

*Try out new ideas in a safe, supportive environment.

This is a unique community of educators. I just joined. What about you?

Week 3 - Blog Posting #5 -Social Media

Facebook is my friend! When I started in January, I was hoping to get in touch with some family and friends that I hadn't seen in a long time. So much has happened since then. I have made friends in England, Australia, Greece, Malaysia, and all over the United States. Now I am reconnected to friends from grade school to college. Yesterday I got an e-mail from my friend, Laura. I was the maid of honor in her wedding and we had lost track of each other.

Social networking has opened up many opportunities, friendships, and learning experiences for me. Before I joined, I was clueless about what it was, or why people were so enamored of it. At my school, we were concerned about students that had not used good judgement about pictures that they posted. Then my friend, Shelby, sent me an invite to join Facebook myself.

My conclusion is that Facebook, blogging, and social networking is a positive force. The potential good outweighs any negatives that I have seen. It has allowed me to get to know some teachers at school better also. We occasionally talk about the games we mutually play, like Yoville, and enjoy sending each other messages there. In the article Blogging Boosts Your Social Life by Claudine Ryan for ABC Science Online, blogging allows a person to feel more connected...and more satisfied with your friendships, both online and face-to-face. This has been true in my experience, as I'm sure is true for many others.

As an educator, social networks provide opportunities to read, research and discuss the best practices worldwide. Groups like the Global Education Collaborative and Classroom 2.0 provide educators a forum to learn the latest technology, how to use it effectively, and get advice as well as support from a wide variety of educators outside of the circle at one's own school. The knowledge base is staggering! Isolation is abolished by the open doors of internet collaboration.

This past weekend, I was researching blogs because I want to give my students an opportunity to fall in love with writing through blogging. Literacy today should involve the computer in some way. Some of the blogging sites I found are Edublog, Classblogmeister, and many more that I have put on my Netvibes page.

Then, I was taken aback when a friend told me he discourages kids from blogging due to predators online. He works with groups that catch such people and knows their tricks. Originally I wanted to do the free blogs through Blogspot, like this one. However, I must open e-mails for each of my students. Edublog allows control and the ability to add students, but it also has a fee, as does ClassPress. The cost is not high, but usually this comes out of my pocket and not the school budget, especially in today's economy.

One alternative is a wiki. Wikispaces has both free and pay plans. The free plan allows for an unlimited number of users. I'm still researching and plan to start by the end of this week. Any suggestions or feedback are appreciated.

Some references worth reading:

Educators Click with social Networking

Wiki Shines Spotlight on Top Educational Blogs

Moving Forward Wiki - Education Blogs by Discipline

Education Total Blog Directory

Hello World!

The lack of belief is a defect that ought to be concealed when it cannot be overcome.

Jonathan Swift

Some say, "Fake it 'til you make it!" I've never been a very good concealer. It's not my favorite thing about myself. I know this isn't really a 'personal' blog, but ever since reading the Web 2.0 text for class, I'm feeling the need for greater connection. It occurs to me that in order to be heard, one must have something to say. I'm still unsure of so much.

Am I the only one who reads theory, great ideas, and the plethora of words that are supposed to help me be a better educator, but still feel I'm coming up short? Every day I work with my students, I want them to be blessed, to grow, to be excited about learning. Yet, I'm tired, and not at my best.

Then again, what is my best? Have I reached that? Have any of us?

I know I struggle with a perfectionism that hinders my ability to see the bright side sometimes. We all need to believe we have a purpose, a positive impact on our world. I may be trying too hard, or just need to let it go.

Thomas Edison said, "I haven't failed, I just found 10,000 ways that didn't work." Am I truly recognizing what does not work?

John C. Lilly said, "Whatever one believes to be true either is true or becomes true in one's mind." Hmmmmmm!

One of the limitations I feel is that of time, choices about how it is spent. When one part of my life suffers because of those choices, the consequences can be hard to face.

Belief is like either a fragile butterfly, or a solid rock. The butterfly has movement, but the rock stays firm. There is room for both, I believe. Right now, I'm fluttering a bit.

All quotes from iWise.com. I have their cool app for my iPhone!

Week 2 - Blog Posting #4 -21st Century Skills & Lifelong Learning

Ropes courses and military obstacle courses have long been training grounds for collaboration. I've participated in a few in my lifetime and can attest to the fact that the only way that people 'get over the wall' is with help. The team must work together to get everyone over to the other side. For some people, the 'wall' is their independence. They must learn to work with other people for the common good. Whatever constitutes a wall that blocks collaboration will discourage, delay, and deny the team an optimal result.

Collaboration is a way to break down walls and connect to the network of human ingenuity. According to Wendy Drexler in the video Networked Student, students need teachers to be modelers, synthesizers, and change agents. Educators are in a unique position to be facilitators of knowledge acquisition in Web 2.0. As the student faces a 'wall' of information to sort through, the learning concierge directs, helps evaluate, and encourages. A Web 2.0 educator must be willing to allow other experts to contribute to the knowledge bank.

Students today were raised in a world of technology that has affected them beyond just their taste in video games. Marc Prensky in his article Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants (2001) says young brains today are changed. They process information differently than earlier generations. Marc Prensky quotes Dr. Bruce D. Perry of Baylor College of Medicine as saying “Different kinds of experiences lead to different brain structures,...it is very likely that our students’ brains have physically changed –and are different from ours – as a result of how they grew up."

Ruth Reynard commented on this change in The Journal article 21st Century Teaching and Learning, Part 1. She asserts that educators are not seeing, nor understanding, that their students do not see the world or learn the same way that they did. The way technology has affected education is more than teaching techniques.

Educators have an even more profound need to be lifelong learners and students themselves in today's world. In order to connect to the skills of the current day, teachers must study. I do not believe it is an option. Those who are not are obvious. Districts who ignore the need to update technology, use media, and train their teachers are making a serious mistake that may build unnecessary walls to their students' potential and future.

A 2003 class from the University of Illinois created an Educational Technology Timeline that is worth reviewing. They projected some possible scenarios for the future with links that show their research, and imagination. Whatever the future brings, more change is inevitable. I only wish there would be a housekeeping robot like on the Jetsons!

Civil Liberties 2.0?

While listening to National Public Radio this morning, I heard a story about a group in Sweden that calls themselves the Pirate party. What caught my attention was that they used the term Civil Liberties 2.0. Rick Falkvinge, the leader of the Pirate party used this term to refer to how he is concerned about the Swedish government interfering with internet communication. One recent law allows e-mail sent across the borders to be monitored. He, and his mainly youth-based party object to what they consider to be invasions of their privacy.

Privacy is a sacred thing to many of us. In the Web 2.0 age, when sharing is the norm, privacy is a matter of two considerations. First, each person chooses what to share. If, like the teacher who recently was fired for objectionable language on his blog, someone chooses to write in a public forum things that they do not intend for everyone to read, they will possibly face unfavorable circumstances.

Can anyone truly expect that there are never consequences? Today there was a nasty comment on one of my YouTube videos. It was an unnecessary use of vocabulary. Apparently this person was not looking for an educational video. I exercised my rights by deleting this person's vulgar words, because I want the video to be available for students. The commenter had the right to say it. I have the right to choose not to see it again, or to subject young viewers to it either.

I risk reading rude comments by posting videos, maintaining a webpage, and writing a blog that allows comments. I risk many types of feedback by putting myself into a public forum. I believe it is worth the risk, the possibility of negative reactions, because I am convinced there is also a greater potential for positive growth.

However, I also object strongly to any governmental law that allows my e-mails and private communications to be monitored. Sadly, there are those who do plan evil things through the internet, but it is difficult for me to agree that access to the common person's private messages would prevent that from happening. I've read 1984 by George Orwell and don't care to have Big Brother watching my every move, not to mention that they would probably be bored to death doing so!

Second, privacy and freedom of expression should not include theft. Perhaps I state that strongly. The Swedish Pirate party wants to be rid of patents, and change copyright laws. Patents give an inventor protection over the use of something s/he created. A copyright is a similar protection of a person's original work. Creative Commons copyrights are about sharing, but some ownership by the creator is maintained.

There must be some way for writers, musicians, movie and video makers, and other creative professionals to actually make money, employ people, and contribute to the economy. Should we all have the right to share whatever we want? Should our right to share interfere with a creative person's right to create and be paid? What if it means that the creative minds that brought the music, videos, or other media and technology to life for our enjoyment, are unable to continue doing so?

I applaud the boldness of the Pirate party. I agree that laws that allow the government to invade personal communications, like e-mail, are problematic. However, I disagree with the assertion that all songs and creative contributions are public property to be shared.

There is a new generation of youth that is working out the implications of living in a Web 2.0 world. Am I too old school? Or is this still a case of, shall I coin a new phrase or two, online ethics 2.0, or media integrity 2.0?

Week 2 - Blog Posting #3 - Media Literacy: Language of Screens

The Center for Media Literacy website defines media literacy as a framework to access, analyze, evaluate and create messages in a variety of forms — from print to video to the Internet. Media literacy builds an understanding of the role of media in society as well as essential skills of inquiry and self-expression necessary for citizens of a democracy.

Media literacy is a not whole new dimension. Media is defined as a way, or manner, of communication through various channels such as television, radio, videos, the internet, and more. Literacy is competency, education, and learning on a subject. Media literacy involves the use of television and computer screens. Thus Barish (2002) dubbed it as the language of screens.

Media literacy is thinking critically about the communcations that we receive, and send. Thoughtful consideration and discernment of information is essential to making sense of the information available on the web today. Potentially ridiculous as well as remarkably researched material is available. The humongous amount of data would be an amazingly awesome sight if it were presented in front of us in the form of a library filled with books! Imagine the massive building(s), myriad of books, and endless rows of shelving that would be required to hold that many texts! [Follow this link to a very clearly detailed definition of Media literacy by the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE).]

My father used to say that when he was in high school he had made a list of things he didn't think he needed to know. He marked things off the list when he found that there was a use for them. By the time he graduated, there was nothing left on his "don't need to know" list. I've often thought about what he said. Simply by making that list, he was evaluating and categorizing information. He used his judgement and experiences to determine the value of each skill. Those same skills are needed today as we access new information. The value, relevance, and reliability of messages must be determined critically to be successful.

My own media literacy is currently growing. I am becoming more educated, competent and skilled at expressing myself with various forms of media such as videos, podcasts and blogs. Although I have used the computer in a Web 1.0 sense, as a word processor and a source of information, for some time now, the transition into the Web 2.0 world has required some expert guidance.

Facebook became a friend of mine in January of this year, 2009. My first Twitter account was opened in June. My first collaborative document on GoogleDocs was in August. Margaret Campbell, Devin Bryant, Bonita Blair and I started our first Ning in August, too. This month, I started using Delicious to bookmark websites to share. Today I spent hours adding and editing my Netvibes page. This blog is another new endeavor into 21st century skills.

Web 2.0 has been a delightfully dangerous discovery for me. Dangerous only because I have basically become addicted. I'm having more fun than I have in years! If Web 2.0 can sweep me out of the doldrums I was experiencing, then it can do the same for others.

How do you measure media literacy? Take this PBS Teacher's Quiz. My score was dismal but not hopless. Obviously, my studies on this subject are not complete. The PBS Teacher's site is an excellent place to start. They have provided activities, research, and links to other organizations to be more informed. Check out the following ideas for media activities. All subject areas are included:

The Arts

Reading & Language Arts

Social Studies

Math

Science & Technology

Health & Fitness

Early Childhood Education

Media is not new, but the presentation of media by the common man really is new. Modern media is interactive. Media literacy is simply using this new language of screens to communicate clearly, effectively, and with intelligence.

There is more to explore in the above definition of how modern media literacy contributes to the need for self-expression in a democracy...something to think about.

References

Barish, S. Edwards, R. Anderson, S. Fron, J. (2002) Innovative Pedagogies for 21st Century Multimedia Education: An Introduction to the USC Annenberg Center for Communication Multimedia Literacy Program Information Visualization, 2002. Proceedings. Sixth International Conference on Volume , Issue , Pgs. 617 - 621

Week 1 - Blog Posting #2 - Learning 2.0: Changes

Learning has changed. While my nephew, Daniel, was growing up, games such as Math Blaster helped him practice and learn math skills. I had basic flash cards. Now there are even smart phone apps like Mental Case that let you create your own flash cards for use on your phone or online. No paper is necessary. Learning is more vigorous and multi-dimensional today. Learning is enterprising and exciting. Learning is stretching and reaching out infinitely. Learning is being able to express ideas to the whole world. Learning should not be limited to a classroom and textbooks. Learning should be lived.

Andrew Barras (2009, September) stated in his Education Stormfront blog that learning is happening outside the classroom now at ever increasing rates. He defines Learning 2.0 as the ability to use outside sources to learn... it is interactive, dynamic and personalized. It can happen anywhere the student is, not just in the classroom. I couldn't agree with him more.

Students today are surrounded by technology that we never even dreamed possible when my generation was their age. Even Tomorrow-land at Disney World became so outdated for us that we laughed at its rather antiquated technology. The technology had already come, gone and been surpassed many times since its inception. Since then, some people joke about the computer you just bought being outdated by the time you walk out of the store. Suddenly lightning strikes and there's a new operating system, software innovation, or upgrade that makes the computer faster, stronger, and with greater capacity than Superman, Spiderman, and all the X-Men rolled up into one electronic package!

Teachers are trying to figure out what their role is in this new learning model (Barras, 2009). Teachers are used to being the presenters of knowledge, but today exponentially more information is presented on the internet. In 2006, the number was at 5 billion gigabytes (http://newliteracy.wikispaces.com/, 2009) of new data flowing literally through the air on Wi-Fi around the world and onto our computers. Students can research and discuss subjects that the teacher may not have ever seen. This complicates things. Educational institutions are not learning from the real world, and are being swallowed by the fear of change. As stated in the video Learning to Change-Changing to Learn, education is at the bottom of the list of internet technological innovation according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. That should make us all sad!

Is anyone really listening? After viewing many videos from organizations such as TED, reading cutting-edge educational sites like Mobile Learning Institute and Curriculum 2.0 and participating in the Full Sail University educational community, I feel like a bird that has been caged. The cage is the mindset that technology is a hinderance, a nuisance, and that cell phones, social networking, and video games are causing problems. I used to build that cage, but now I want out. Change has happened to me. I researched the use of iPhones and iPod Touch in the classroom and posted the information on my iWeb site. Instead of decrying video games as an instrument to hinder education, I now see their potential to raise educational levels higher.

Look at video games objectively for a moment. They obviously teach something. We can agree on that. In my research, I found that game designers utilize researched principals of learning (Gee, 2005). Games allow students to interact, choose, make mistakes, practice, relearn, fail, and have fun doing it all! Isn't that what education is? Is there some rule that learning must be all rote and no rumpus? Why not use this creative invention to share positive, life-changing knowledge in a way that is engaging and enjoyable?

The new purpose that I feel now as a student of these innovations is what I want to pass on to my students and to other teachers. The joy of learning is revived in me. Learning 2.0 is about renewing the excitement of discovery, ingenuity, and the metamorphosis of each mind. Learning 2.0 is flying fast. Will we catch up?

References:

Gee, J. (2005). Learning by Design: good video games as learning machines, Symposium Journals, Retrieved June 20, 2009 from E-Learning 2(1) http://tinyurl.com/qnuwmz

Week 1 - Blog Posting #1 - Web 2.0: Brave New Words on Web 2.0

I am among the 48 million (or more!) people (Roche, 2006) who have blogged, podcasted, posted YouTube videos or showed photos online. However, I have not wikied yet. Before attending Full Sail, I didn't know podcasted or wikied were even action verbs!

Although we are not in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, we are experiencing 'brave new words' through the influx of Web 2.0 technology connections. Words are racing across the internet like hoards of ants chasing honey. They go out and gather energy to return home with the nourishment of the feedback our minds crave.

Web 2.0 is the superhighway with information being exchanged faster than the Concord flies. How do I utilize this dizzying amount of input for my classroom?

Classes today have a mix of tech-savvy and tech-deprived students. Although they have been raised in this high-tech world, still there are those who do not have computers at home. Others have computers but do not have internet access. The fact that not all students have Internet access at home, however, has negative implications (From Now On The Educational Technology Journal, Green and O'Brien, 2002, para. 16). The term often used to describe this disparity is the "digital divide".

In my sixth grade class this year, 33% do not have a computer at home, but only 11% said they would have a hard time finding a way to get access to the internet. For internet-based assignments, I would have to make arrangements for a few students to do their work mainly at school. Roughly 89% said that they would be able to access the internet through a relative, friend, or the library. This was an informal poll, but it appears that Web 2.0 assignments are not out-of-the-question for this group of students.

The concern I have is that they are not truly internet and computer literate. All have played some type of computer game, but not all are clear about how to find information. Discernment about legitimate versus hoax is somewhat lacking. Cathy De Rosa from the Online Computer Library Center (De Rosa, 2005) said people do not question the information that they find on the Internet. They report that they trust it based on their common sense or their ability to just know what is right. Part of my goal this year is to guide my students beyond using the computer and internet merely as a toy, and help them use it with more discernment as a tool that can help build their futures.

Web 2.0 New Tools, New Schools (Solomon & Schrum, 2007) states that sixth grade is a 'tipping point' where 50% of students show their social networking skills by using e-mail or texting on a daily basis. Middle school students crave social activity, and Web 2.0 provides many ways for them to express themselves, communicate and stay connected. Why should it be surprising to anyone that they want to use social networks and cell phones?

Yet I still have the same question, how do I use this technology effectively in my current classroom? Theory is nice, but application is what matters. What would make the most of time, resources, and create optimal student success? What programs and Web 2.0 tools will foster the 21st Century student knowledge needed for my students to succeed?

Since Google Docs is now unblocked at my school, I found a link to Twenty Interesting Ways to Use Google Docs in the Classroom. Slide #5, I am Unique, is simple and goes along with the class curriculum. This seems to be a workable starting place for a collaborative document.

In the future, I would like start student blogging to practice writing and communication skills. Also, using www.wizlite.com to highlight and share reference documents might be fun and informative for the students. Although I would love to conquer the Web in a day, I must follow Bob's advice from the movie What About Bob? (1991) and say, "Baby steps!"

Videos of note:
Google Docs in Plain English (How to Use Google Docs and Why They are Useful)

Google Docs Discussed by Educators

References:

Black, J. (2009, May). Twenty interesting ways to use Google Docs in the classroom. Retrieved September 3, 2009 from http://web20intheclassroom.blogspot.com/

De Rosa, C. (2005). Online computer library center. Retrieved September 3, 2009, from Perceptions of libraries and information resources Web site: http://www.oclc.org/reports/2005perceptions.htm

Green, D. and O'Brien, T. (2003, June). The internet and the upper elementary classroom: Making a difference?. Retrieved September 3, 2009, from From Now On The Educational Technology Journal Web site: http://fno.org/jun02/impact.html

Roche, R (2006, June 26). LITA president’s program: Internet culture: What do we know about user behavior?. Retrieved September 3, 2009, from Library and information technology blog Web site: http://litablog.org/2006/06/26/lita-presidents-program-internet-culture-what-do-we-know-about-user-behavior/

Solomon G. & Schrum L. (2007). Web 2.0 New Tools, New Schools, International Society for Technology in Education.

No Bland Blogging

Today we begin another adventure onward with our sails full of the wind of knowledge! Or so we hope. May no pirates of down internet, crashing of computer seas, or circling of the sharks of ignorance of technology rob you of the treasure you have amassed. Ahoy! Full sail ahead!!!