Comments on: Transitioning Schools into the 21st Century workshops http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2009/01/transitioning-schools-into-the-21st-century-workshops.html Technology, leadership, and the future of schools Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:42:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Darcy Moore http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2009/01/transitioning-schools-into-the-21st-century-workshops.html/comment-page-1#comment-11396 Darcy Moore Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000 http://annahein.com/2009/01/transitioning-schools-into-the-21st-century-workshops.html#comment-11396 Many conferences and professional development sessions re: digital technologies are too often hampered by the limitations that plague many classrooms. Quite simply, there is no/limited technology that can be employed during the session to allow delegates to be connected (like many classrooms). A person 'who knows' stands at the front, often successfully sage-like, and shows some 2.0 videos and pithy quotes about the flat classroom/world etc. while the participants sit, inactive. Scott, any session that allows the participants to actually engage with the technology has to be the answer and I'm sure everyone enjoyed a Google Reader session immensely. Conferences and PD sessions without connectivity and the gear (that are about using technology) are not the answer. I am endeavouring to do something similiar with regional staff/leadership, in NSW, in a couple of weeks. I have a presentation to post shortly at my blog for feedback. Finally, IMHO unless the leadership/hierachy of the region or school are prepared to use web 2.0 tools it is hard to imagine many of the 'troops' following. Do what I do, look how fun/useful/relevant it is, is the way to go. Thanks for this useful post, Scott. Many conferences and professional development sessions re: digital technologies are too often hampered by the limitations that plague many classrooms. Quite simply, there is no/limited technology that can be employed during the session to allow delegates to be connected (like many classrooms). A person ‘who knows’ stands at the front, often successfully sage-like, and shows some 2.0 videos and pithy quotes about the flat classroom/world etc. while the participants sit, inactive.

Scott, any session that allows the participants to actually engage with the technology has to be the answer and I’m sure everyone enjoyed a Google Reader session immensely. Conferences and PD sessions without connectivity and the gear (that are about using technology) are not the answer.

I am endeavouring to do something similiar with regional staff/leadership, in NSW, in a couple of weeks. I have a presentation to post shortly at my blog for feedback.

Finally, IMHO unless the leadership/hierachy of the region or school are prepared to use web 2.0 tools it is hard to imagine many of the ‘troops’ following. Do what I do, look how fun/useful/relevant it is, is the way to go.

Thanks for this useful post, Scott.

]]> By: Cathy Nelson http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2009/01/transitioning-schools-into-the-21st-century-workshops.html/comment-page-1#comment-11397 Cathy Nelson Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000 http://annahein.com/2009/01/transitioning-schools-into-the-21st-century-workshops.html#comment-11397 Scott, maybe you could set them up to run into MANY, MANY blocked materials after getting them excited about trying out what is introduced and modeled so they can see why there is slow buy in from classroom teachers. Experiencing the "blocked" message at school dissuades even the most adventurous teachers who want to make their learning and seamless integration of technology relevant to kids of this day, at least in my experience. Scott, maybe you could set them up to run into MANY, MANY blocked materials after getting them excited about trying out what is introduced and modeled so they can see why there is slow buy in from classroom teachers. Experiencing the “blocked” message at school dissuades even the most adventurous teachers who want to make their learning and seamless integration of technology relevant to kids of this day, at least in my experience.

]]> By: Scott McLeod http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2009/01/transitioning-schools-into-the-21st-century-workshops.html/comment-page-1#comment-11398 Scott McLeod Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000 http://annahein.com/2009/01/transitioning-schools-into-the-21st-century-workshops.html#comment-11398 Thanks for the comment, Darcy. The guided tour of actual application of Web 2.0 tools by classroom teachers has been eye-opening for the administrators. They not only get to see tools that they didn't know existed, they get to see them in action by "real live educators!" Although I'm showing them on a projector up front, they're also following along via the wiki (plus four of them are taking notes for the group using EtherPad). Participants have been bringing their laptops per our invitation. They're not used to being able to do that either. Good luck with your own efforts. I'll look forward to reading your post! Thanks for the comment, Darcy. The guided tour of actual application of Web 2.0 tools by classroom teachers has been eye-opening for the administrators. They not only get to see tools that they didn’t know existed, they get to see them in action by “real live educators!” Although I’m showing them on a projector up front, they’re also following along via the wiki (plus four of them are taking notes for the group using EtherPad).

Participants have been bringing their laptops per our invitation. They’re not used to being able to do that either.

Good luck with your own efforts. I’ll look forward to reading your post!

]]> By: Jay Cole Simser http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2009/01/transitioning-schools-into-the-21st-century-workshops.html/comment-page-1#comment-11399 Jay Cole Simser Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000 http://annahein.com/2009/01/transitioning-schools-into-the-21st-century-workshops.html#comment-11399 I wish you had been around when I was still teaching. One thing I did with my students was to use a "guided" worksheet. I posted a worksheet with url's embedded in the writing, ( Much the way I link on my blog) - Students had to click on it and be taken to my preselected page and then hunt for the answers to my questions. This not only took them through material that I had chosen to supplement the poor textbooks but it also made them comfortable with the technology. Sometime I would like to attend one of your seminars. (Even though I am an old (67) retired teacher. I wish you had been around when I was still teaching. One thing I did with my students was to use a “guided” worksheet. I posted a worksheet with url’s embedded in the writing, ( Much the way I link on my blog) – Students had to click on it and be taken to my preselected page and then hunt for the answers to my questions. This not only took them through material that I had chosen to supplement the poor textbooks but it also made them comfortable with the technology. Sometime I would like to attend one of your seminars. (Even though I am an old (67) retired teacher.

]]> By: Pamela G South http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2009/01/transitioning-schools-into-the-21st-century-workshops.html/comment-page-1#comment-11400 Pamela G South Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000 http://annahein.com/2009/01/transitioning-schools-into-the-21st-century-workshops.html#comment-11400 Wow! What an awesome resource. We have been doing PD in our district for teachers and administrators, but this just bumped my brain to a whole new level! Wow! What an awesome resource. We have been doing PD in our district for teachers and administrators, but this just bumped my brain to a whole new level!

]]> By: j. edgar burt http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2009/01/transitioning-schools-into-the-21st-century-workshops.html/comment-page-1#comment-11401 j. edgar burt Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000 http://annahein.com/2009/01/transitioning-schools-into-the-21st-century-workshops.html#comment-11401 Thanks for the link to Google Reader! What a great resource and I see great potential for use in the classroom. The dilemma that I see for myself and other school administrators is finding time in the day to deal with the crisis of the moment and try to stay current with some of the great resources that are available. PD sessions like the ones you describe are great and can spark some changes in a district, but ongoing PD and someone to push change on a continual basis is what is truly needed. Realistically, we should have a dedicated Director of Instructional Technology in each district that would be able to evaluate the continual onslaught of new ideas. Unfortunately, most of the districts I am familiar with leave this job up to individual LMC folks in each buidling or a tech director with little or no educational background. For now I’ll just keep checking some of the incredible blogs that I keep stumbling upon, including yours. As a side note, thanks for introducing me to “Disrupting Class”; I’m trying to suggest this as summer reading for our admin team. Thanks for the link to Google Reader! What a great resource and I see great potential for use in the classroom. The dilemma that I see for myself and other school administrators is finding time in the day to deal with the crisis of the moment and try to stay current with some of the great resources that are available. PD sessions like the ones you describe are great and can spark some changes in a district, but ongoing PD and someone to push change on a continual basis is what is truly needed. Realistically, we should have a dedicated Director of Instructional Technology in each district that would be able to evaluate the continual onslaught of new ideas. Unfortunately, most of the districts I am familiar with leave this job up to individual LMC folks in each buidling or a tech director with little or no educational background.

For now I’ll just keep checking some of the incredible blogs that I keep stumbling upon, including yours. As a side note, thanks for introducing me to “Disrupting Class”; I’m trying to suggest this as summer reading for our admin team.

]]> By: Evan Abbey http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2009/01/transitioning-schools-into-the-21st-century-workshops.html/comment-page-1#comment-11402 Evan Abbey Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000 http://annahein.com/2009/01/transitioning-schools-into-the-21st-century-workshops.html#comment-11402 I've run into several administrators who are taking the workshops, and you can see the difference it is making. They ask more direct, pointed questions about technology implementations, instead of "what could we be doing?" With even a small amount of awareness, they are forming a vision in their mind for their building. With the last two I've visited with, I've pushed the notion of how this changes professional development. That, through social media tools, they should be empowering the teachers to create networks and develop themselves, rather than a top-down approach where PD is determined by a select few. The philosophical switch of moving to a professional learning network as the heart of PD is a topic for you to continue. I’ve run into several administrators who are taking the workshops, and you can see the difference it is making. They ask more direct, pointed questions about technology implementations, instead of “what could we be doing?” With even a small amount of awareness, they are forming a vision in their mind for their building.

With the last two I’ve visited with, I’ve pushed the notion of how this changes professional development. That, through social media tools, they should be empowering the teachers to create networks and develop themselves, rather than a top-down approach where PD is determined by a select few. The philosophical switch of moving to a professional learning network as the heart of PD is a topic for you to continue.

]]> By: Scott http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2009/01/transitioning-schools-into-the-21st-century-workshops.html/comment-page-1#comment-11403 Scott Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000 http://annahein.com/2009/01/transitioning-schools-into-the-21st-century-workshops.html#comment-11403 Scott, I love your work and am so grateful for your continuing willingness to think out loud here... thank you! Are you sharing Forester's Social Technographic info, by any chance? (http://bit.ly/1hHsfi) I think it's helpful both in terms of the picture it paints and because it might give folks more ways to see THEMSELVES in the social media picture. Scott, I love your work and am so grateful for your continuing willingness to think out loud here… thank you!

Are you sharing Forester’s Social Technographic info, by any chance?

(http://bit.ly/1hHsfi)

I think it’s helpful both in terms of the picture it paints and because it might give folks more ways to see THEMSELVES in the social media picture.

]]> By: Shelley http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2009/01/transitioning-schools-into-the-21st-century-workshops.html/comment-page-1#comment-11404 Shelley Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000 http://annahein.com/2009/01/transitioning-schools-into-the-21st-century-workshops.html#comment-11404 Hi, that last comment was actually from me, Shelley... must've accidentally typed Scott's name into the comment field. Time for some shut-eye! Hi, that last comment was actually from me, Shelley… must’ve accidentally typed Scott’s name into the comment field.

Time for some shut-eye!

]]> By: Susanna Robertson http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2009/01/transitioning-schools-into-the-21st-century-workshops.html/comment-page-1#comment-11405 Susanna Robertson Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000 http://annahein.com/2009/01/transitioning-schools-into-the-21st-century-workshops.html#comment-11405 It is truly exciting to read about what is happening in Iowa. Our district administrator is almost anti-technology. The rumor is that he will retire after this school year. Perhaps we can then move our schools into the present...and future...of technology-rich classrooms. I will be following your program with great interest! It is truly exciting to read about what is happening in Iowa. Our district administrator is almost anti-technology. The rumor is that he will retire after this school year. Perhaps we can then move our schools into the present…and future…of technology-rich classrooms. I will be following your program with great interest!

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