Post Revisited - Inspiration When We Need It Most

This article has been cross posted at the Tech & Learning Magazine Advisor Blog

I wrote this post over four years ago and it still holds true.  We need educators like Moliehi Sekese to continue to inspire us through all of the challenges we face as we try to innovate and make a difference. I hope you are inspired, as I was all over again, by her and her students 

Recently, I have seen too many news stories about school budgets being voted down, federal educational technology programs no longer being funded, and the continued attacks on educators from politicians and other organizations. I know that this has been going on for a while but it has really made me reflect on where we are in terms of the state of our educational programs in this country and the attitude we must take. We are a country that is supposed to be a leader in this world and we are spending more time, and money, pointing fingers then trying to fix our problems.

As educators we are supposed to be preparing our students for their futures as wise content consumers and producers. Savvy technology users that can innovate, collaborate, and be creative with a global perspective. Yet, for the most part, we continue to feel demoralized for not being given the proper support and tools to achieve these goals.

Now that I have vented, I want to put this into perspective. I want you all to meet Moliehi Sekese, a Microsoft Worldwide Innovative Teacher Award recipient. Moliehi, from the very small and poor South African country of Lesotho, has been globally recognized as an innovative integrator of technology. Her class size is about 100 students, that is not a typo, and the school does not have electricity. But she uses her personal laptop, as long as the battery lasts, and some innovative teaching techniques to teach and integrate technology. Please take time to listen to her words in the video below and read her story on Ewan McIntosh's bog. You can also, read more and see a longer interview on the Cool Cat Teacher Blog. She is an amazing woman who can teach us all how to be innovators in a time when we need it the most. As you will hear her say,

"Stop blaming the challenges. Use a stumbling block as a stepping stone to success."

So, if you are feeling sorry for yourself when you are faced with the one computer classroom or you can't get that new set of mobile devices for your school, take a minute and remember Moliehi, and what she doing to be innovative, successful and inspiring to her students and colleagues. She is certainly an example for all of us to remember when we think we can't overcome a challenge.

I will leave you with this quote, by Dr. Martin Luther King:

"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.

It serves as a reminder to me when I get upset or depressed about that challenges that I face everyday as I try to help the teachers and students in my school district achieve their goals to become twenty-first century workers and learners. I hope it inspires you to move forward as well. I know that Moliehi is a living example.

App Review - Pento Notebook for iPad

This article is cross posted at the Technology & Learning Advisor blog.

I recently downloaded a new app for my iPad, Pento Notebook ($2.99), that I believe can give some of the more popular notebook apps some competition.  Now, don't get me wrong, I think that there are some great apps our there, but Pento takes a different approach and that is what makes them standout in my opinion.

Just like any other notebook app you can create and label as many notebooks as you like.  They have all of the common tools for writing, drawing, and text insertion. Including settings to change colors and pen width.  They even include some cute emoticons. But, what set this app apart is its ability to create rich multimedia notebooks.

What makes this really app shine is the "Grabber."  This tool allows you to "grab" different types of media. If you want to embed a video from a web page into your notebook page you simply touch the "Grabber" on the left side of the page and select "Browser."  Then browse to the URL you want and find the video. Once the video loads, by the way the browser loads very fast, touch and hold your finger on it and a menu appears with a choice to "grab" the video.  Once you do that it takes you back to your notebook page and embeds the fully functioning video.  You can then further manipulate its size and position, even annotate over it.  This can also be done with text, pictures, etc.  The "Grabber" tool bar also has a selection for Twitter that will pull up your Twitter stream and let you grab tweets and embed them as well.   You have the options of using pictures, videos and music that are already on your device.  You can take your own pictures or video recordings from within the app and embed them as well.  When you are all finished with your notes you can save them within Pento or share a page via email, Twitter or Facebook.

Imagine the innovative uses of this in the classroom. Research can be saved, and annotated over, all in one convenient place.  Students can make multimedia pages on a topic that can be shared with their teacher or classmates.  Overall, I think that this is an app with a lot of potential that will spark your creativity the more you use it.  I would definitely recommend adding it to your app list of must haves.

Here is a video that shows Pento in action:

[youtube=http://youtu.be/Pi7Kq7Yv2HM]

Technology, Social Engagement and Superstorm Sandy

This article is cross posted at the Technology & Learning Advisor blog.

I feel very blessed to be someone that not only lives at the Southern New Jersey shore, but had the opportunity to grow up on one of its barrier islands. I have weathered many storms, and have heard about the really "big ones" from the old timers, but Superstorm Sandy was different.  Needless to say, we knew it was time to get out of town so we boarded up and left.

One thought going through any homeowners mind is, "What will it be like during the storm and what will the town, and our home, look like after?"  Enter the power of the Internet and social media.  During uncertain times knowing how to leverage these resources becomes a life line of information for people when they are away from home. It is also an opportunity to teach our students about the power, and importance, of  social media and web resources.

I know we have heard this said before but, we need to reflect and ask ourselves,"Do we spend the time in our schools teaching our students how to best use technology for social good?"  If it wasn't for YouTube, Facebook, Blogs, Twitter and other resources, I would have had a hard time knowing what was going on.  Through these 21st Century "media outlets" I was able to see videos and pictures of my town during and after the storm.  I was even able to find pictures of my home and my families homes to let them know if they were flooded or damaged.  I was even able to find a video of my street and house during the storm.  Local bloggers and websites provided me with information that was invaluable and even gave me a head start when were allowed to re-enter after the storm.  A 10-minute drive still took 2 hours but it could have been worse.

Social media was used for social change as well.  When one local town reopened and the only bridge in was charging a toll.  So, people went to social media to put the word out, the local news media outlets then heard about it and the bridge owners relented and allowed people back for free.  In fact, they went so far as to take all of the toll money they already collected and donated it to the relief effort.  Now that is a teachable moment!

Some grass roots movements started through social media as well.  One started with a young person creating a graphic that he posted as his FaceBook profile picture.  He received so many likes and encouraging messages to make a t-shirt that he and his friends have started a highly successful fundraising group, Restore the Shore, that donates 100% of their proceeds to the relief effort.  Many large companies have supported them as well as locals dropping off supplies to be distributed. All of this from a FaceBook account!  What an example for our students!

We are in an era of global social engagement and collaboration.  Events such as Sandy are a great opportunity to teach our students how to use social media and technology to create, share and obtain information.  Young people in our society should be developing the skills to use these tools in innovative, entrepreneurial, and socially responsible ways.  We as parents and educators need to learn about them as well to help guide and instruct them.  It shouldn't take a natural disaster to see the importance.

Why Can't All Professional Development Be Like an Unconference?

This article is cross posted at the Technology & Learning Advisor blog.

A little over two years ago myself and a small group of educational technologists in my area discussed the unconference model for professional development (PD).  We all thought that it had a lot of potential and that the Edcamp unconferences cropping up around the country were really great.  So, one of our group said that we should put together an unconference dealing with mobile devices, mainly tablets, that day PadCamp was born. This summer we held our second PadCamp on a beautiful August day at the Southern New Jersey shore.  Over 300 educators and students, yes students, ran sessions and shared ideas and resources.

Shoot, they could have gone to the beach! It was a gorgeous sunny day and the ocean water was warm! But they didn't and that's profound. They didn't because they were "hungry" and wanted to learn and do it in a way that was productive and collaborative. So I said, "Why aren't more school districts holding their own unconferernces?"  We all have gone through too many in-service days where the end result was boredom and frustration. Or, people got so "off course," due to being told what to do, that nothing productive come out of it. Many school districts have gone to the "turn key" approach to PD where a few staff members go out and get trained and then come back to train their peers. Don't get me wrong, this is can be effective, but it can be better.

Just imagine a day where the staff walks into the school cafeteria or auditorium, with a blank schedule in hand, and are asked to create a PD day that they control. I think that the thought of this makes many administrators cringe in fear. But, as professionals we have a lot to share and sharing is what it's all about. Remember, collaboration is a twenty first century skill!

The unconference model fosters sharing and collaboration. It gives a voice and platform for educators to share best practices and resources.  How great would it be if  the people that organize PD in school districts would take that chance? I firmly believe that people would leave feeling empowered, excited and motivated to go back and implement what they just learned. I have seen it in person and it's too obvious to not stand up and pay attention.

We are at a crossroads as educators.  We are asked to teach to a test in a prescriptive manner that stifles our creativity. If we can take take come control of our professional growth and learn what we need and want, instead of going through more of the same, we can grow better professionally and our students will benefit as well. The unconference model of professional development gives you a voice and allows you to do what you do best - teach, learn and collaborate. Unconferences don't have to be technology related either, just use your imagination.  So, if you haven't attended an EdCamp, PadCamp or any unconference yet please do!  It's a PD experience that will be well worth your time.

Book Review: "Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds"

This article is cross posted at the Technology & Learning Advisor blog.

There is a new book on the market, that I think, is a  much needed "guide" for those that want to collaborate in their classrooms but are not quite sure how to get it done.  Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis have provided a wonderful resource in their book "Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Move to Global Collaboration One Step at a Time."  This is more than a book, it is designed using an interactive, action based approach that puts readers through a three part process that involves fifteen actions to give you, "a live learning experience connecting you to other learners."

In part one -  "Meet the Flat Classroom,"  the authors will familiarize you with the concepts of flattening your classroom through solid research and examples.  You will read how to embed and enhance current projects as well using stories from educators and students that are globally collaborating.  Part two - "Seven Steps to Flatten You Classroom," will get you involved by teaching you how to connect and build your global reach as well as communicate effectively.  The authors include information about how to sustain your projects, build relationships, while teaching digital global citizenship using what they call the "7 Steps to Flatten Your Classroom."  Finally, part three - "Project Development," guides the reader through the framework to create and manage their own global projects. These final chapters take the reader full circle from connecting, to collaborating, and then creating and managing your own global projects. Every chapter ends with a great summary, some essential questions, one of the fifteen challenges, a diary entry from one of the authors, and case studies. These features give great closure and application to all of the concepts that have been covered.

As I stated earlier, this is an interactive book with many great features that help educators apply what they are learning, and share them at the same time. Just about every page has a QR Code to scan, a website to visit or resources for connecting to others. For instance, they list key people to follow on Twitter under "Add Friend" or give the address of a recommended social network.  Furthermore, the ISTE NETS Standards and 21st Century Skills that are discussed can be found listed in the margin on the same page. Plus, they give you six months of free access to their PD Toolkit that is chock-full of case studies, downloadable tools, templates and assignments.

Overall, this is a great book written by 21st century educators, for 21st century educators, in a way that not only instructs, but engages that reader and gives them the tools to act and lead. I have met and spoken with so many educators that want to include 21st Century learning and pedagogy in the curriculum but feel overwhelmed and are not sure how to start. I now have a resource to point them to that is a complete and actionable resource to make them not just global collaborators, but leaders that can share what they learn and spread the "Flat Classroom" ™ movement. Or, better yet, become a Flat Classroom ® Certified Teacher!

The Top Three Most Important Issues Facing K-12 Educational Technology for 2011-12

This article is cross posted at the Technology & Learning Advisor blog.

Recently, Christine Wiser T&L's Managing Editor, asked the Tech Advisors the following question:

What do you think are the top three most important issues facing K-12 edtech this year?

I thought that this was a great question that would generate a lot of discussion. So, I wanted to share with you my top three and see what you have to say. After all, sometimes, the more voices heard the more progress can be made.

Here are my top three:

1.  Mobile device adoption. Especially bring your own device program implementation.

   Obviously, mobile devices are very popular and just about everyone has one.  They come in so many “flavors” that there are many to choose from. Also, with school district budgets not getting any better they are becoming more attractive for schools to explore due to their overall lower price points.

   Furthermore, with the diversity of technology assets available to consumers, bring your own device (BYOD) programs are starting to crop up all over the country. I really like this idea and think that with more and more students owning technologies that can meet their needs for school, BYOD promises to have benefits well beyond cash savings for school districts.

   The challenge lies, just as it does with a one-to-one program, in the implementation.  Policies have to be properly written, to protect not just your network but to comply with the Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA).  Web filtering needs to be selected carefully so staff and students can still pass through the filter with their device so inappropriate sites can be blocked and network security solutions have to be carefully considered in order to protect the integrity of your staff and student data.

   So, although I believe that this is the way to go, there are many things that need to be considered and it’s important enough that we all, as educators, collaborate on effective models for success.

2. Getting people to really understand what is meant by 21st century teaching and learning.

   Twenty first century teaching and learning is defined in many ways. For the most part it is teaching our students the following skills - Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity and Innovation. But, many educators are overwhelmed with the task of implementing a plan to address these needs. More understanding and training needs to take place and districts need to implement plans that work for them. This will help bring those reluctant, late adopters, along at a comfortable pace that will allow them to have small successes that will motivate them to continue and build confidence.

   One skill, which I believe is very important for our students to learn is empathy and I am not alone. In a February 2008 eSchool News interview entitled “Four things every student should learn...but not every school is teaching,” Alan November discussed global empathy -

“November said he was talking with a senior executive at a global investment bank recently, and he asked the executive: What is the most important skill for today’s students to learn so they are prepared to succeed in the new global economy?

“Empathy,” the executive replied—the ability to understand and respect different points of view.

Most of today’s companies do business with customers all over the world, and several also have branches in multiple countries. Chances are good that when students enter the workforce, they’ll be working with—or doing business with—someone from another nation, with its own culture and its own unique perspective, at some point in their career.
It’s not hard to find people who are smart, the executive said. What is hard to find are employees who have to ability to empathize with, and be sensitive to the needs of, people from other countries.”

So, we need to teach students skills that will prepare them to not only to be intelligent, creative thinkers, but also to have emotional intelligences to succeed in future jobs that are still to come. This is quiet a challenge, with a skill set that many educators need to learn in parallel with their students.

3. Anytime, anywhere learning.

   This is the piece that links together numbers one and two. If school districts are provided the opportunities to give students, and staff, the ability to access school resources outside of the classroom then powerful learning can take place.

   The advent of virtualization and cloud computing can allow a BYOD program to succeed.  Access to software and resources at home will allow students to do their work without having the fear of not having the correct software.  It can also save a school district money over time.

   If technology departments would look at putting resources into their “back end,” network development by implementing, for instance, a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), then students with just about any device can safely and securely access learning resources and files.

    Mobile and BYOD programs can then be designed using the VDI environment as the vehicle to enhance and supplement teaching twenty first century skills.  Students and staff can use their own technologies, if they want to, and school districts can effectively extend the life of some of their older systems since VDI is server-based and requires a much less powerful workstation The teachers and students can then work on projects that will allow them to use the same tools both at home and at school.

   So there are my three.  What are yours? I urge you to take time and reflect on the question. Then contribute and let the readers of T&L know what you think. I look forward to hearing what you have to say.

Web 2.0 - Like Drinking Water from a Fire Hose

This article is cross posted at the Technology & Learning Advisor blog.

It seems that every time I turn around I see another new, or new and improved, tool out there that catches my attention and sends my mind into the, "I gotta sign up for that," mode. I have to admit it is very enticing when you see all of these innovative new tools coming at you fast and furious.

When you look at all of these new Web 2.0 technology offerings, making a choice can be like drinking water from a fire hose. I mean before you know it, if you lose your focus, you are signed up for a large number of sites that you find out you don't have any time to master or really integrate into your curriculum. The best advice that I can give is to take a deep breath and do your homework while developing your own Web 2.0 “Tool Kit.” By doing this you can develop skills and lessons based around your tool kit and then grow them from there. It’s very tempting to want to try all of the new things that you come across, but you need to explore them and make a decision as to whether that will work for you or not. Don’t try to “drink” them all in, take small “sips.”

So, how would one go about developing their own Web 2.0 toolkit? Here's my advice, and of course, I want to hear yours and what you use:

1. Take time and reflect on your curricular goals and try to pinpoint areas that could be improved by the integration of a new tool or technology. Reflection is the key here, don't jump into the world of Web 2.0 without a plan and a clear focus on what you want yourself, and your students, to get out of it.


2. Once you have a plan start to reach out to your colleagues both in person and through any networks that you have developed via your Personal Learning Network (You are developing your PLN aren't you??). Ask, what others in your curricular area have had successes and struggles with and filter that through your level of expertise as well as the vision that you have created in step one.


3. Once you have made the decision take "baby steps," and make sure that you learn it well enough first before you fully implement it. Then identify a group of students that you feel would be a good group to pilot your new-found tool. Don't be afraid to have it fail at first, let the kids teach you what they have found it can do. They may come up with an entirely new, and innovative, approach to using it. Remember they are the experts sometimes.


4. Once you have gone through the steps above stop and reflect again. I can't stress this enough, reflection should be a part of your daily routine. If it's not, then you are missing a very important step in your personal and professional life. Reflect on your successes and failures, as well as the feedback you received from your students and any observations that you have made.

Creating your Web 2.0 toolkit can be a daunting task. But, every craftsman has one and if you want to be successful educating our modern learners the you need your own to master your craft as well. Like real tools, your Web 2.o "Tool Kit," will get old, and better tools will come around, so always remember to go back through the process every once in a while to see if it's time to re-tool. Also, by all means continue to add new tools and grow it as well!!

So, now it's your turn. How have you developed your tool kit? What implementation strategies have worked for you and what are your favorite tools? Let's share our success and failures so we can all grow together.

Remember don't "drink" too fast, take small "sips" and leave time for reflection!!