Today's blog post marks number 400 at the Drive-thru, so I'll indulge myself in reflecting on what my blog means to me these days.
From the beginning, the Drive-thru has served as a way for me to work out my thoughts on various instructional technology topics. When I started, it was fun for this English major to simply start writing in an authentic way. While I've lost the "kick" I get from writing, the discipline definitely helps me sort out my experiences and notions.
The focus has shifted somewhat from classroom practice, to professional development, to curation. I enjoy the way that the blog itself causes me to read more. Sometimes during lunch I'll sift through my RSS feeds looking for quotes or links. Beside serving the blog, I also come across many interesting subjects and articles that I don't pass along.
At first when I started to post I was disappointed that I was not achieving more discussion with my posts. But then I started to notice a curious tendency: I tended to achieve more back and forth when something had ticked me off or I had taken a more provocative position. So I rarely even think about it anymore. Google supplies me with stats on my number of readers. I'm happy to know that I have an audience even if I am not artificially ginning up controversy. (We have enough of that in the media, don't we?).
And lastly I confess a guilty pleasure: I still love looking for photos on the Creative Commons. While today's effort is not perhaps my best, as with all the others, it suits the the theme in some obvious or obscure way. And I have not violated copyright.
It's been quite some time since I have written about my "blogging about vlogs" activity. This is the third year and of doing this with my seniors, and they are still going strong. Essentially, through the school year, each student creates a short video commentary on a current event. The rest of the class then posts comments on the video. They are not required to participate in each one, but when they do participate, they are required to go in twice, during two windows of participation. This way the students must pay attention to the conversation. I've described this process before, but our interactions have always been password protected (MobileMe and Blogger have served as our platforms).
This year's group has given me permission to give you a glance at their recent work. Stephanie's video was made right before the U.S.military's engagement in Libya.
Alyson said... I think because Qaddafi already has brought violence into the situation, it would be almost impossible to enter the scene peacefully. Though if the Libyan army is really as weak as you say, perhaps it would be possible. As Lindsey said, the group of 8 met, and France reported there is no yet agreement on enforcing a non-flight zone. I think to enter the conflict at this juncture would be tragic. An already violent undertaking, Muammar el-Qaddafi seems unstable and I would not be surprised if he took even more drastic action against any intervening troops and his own people if other troops were to enter the scene.
Lauren said... I think, as a country with a very capable military, we would be wrong not to help the Libyans. As Stephanie said, the Libyan military is pretty weak, and getting involved would not produce a full-blown war. I don't think the no-fly zone would be "ironic". We would not be bombing innocent people, we would be bombing the bad guys in order to protect the innocent people. Instituting the no-fly zone would be a fairly quick engagement, and would save thousands of lives. Qaddafi has control in Libya because no one has tried to stand up to him yet.
Kari said... I agree fully and absolutely with Alyson. The US does have a notorious reputation as being the ones to always step in and "save the day," to a point where people of other countries hate it, but also expect it and want it. However, this very moment in time, I believe is not the right moment. Going into Lybia now would be a disaster. Alyson is right, I think, that if we were to send force now to try and settle the situation the Lybia government would send more troops against us and its own people--we would be fighting fire with fire. So, I think, for now, we should not send any military force to country already overwhelmed by a military that is their own.
Carolyn P said . . . . I agree with a lot of what Alyson said. It's true that Muammar el-Qaddafi seems unstable and completely psycho, but he isn't unstoppable. The U.S. government needs to intervene, and quick. If the UN or the Allies don't do anything now, there's going to be a full-blown genocide in Libya. If the group of 8 doesn't approve of America intervening, does that mean America is just going to stand by and do nothing?! It's like watching someone get bullied but not doing anything to stop it because your friends feel uneasy about what would happen. I don't understand how anyone could say that America should just stay out of it and let this imminent genocide take place. My great grandparents were survivors of the Armenian Genocide by the Turks from 1915-1923. The U.S. government knew exactly what was happening then and didn't do anything to intervene - in fact, they discouraged any other superpowers at the time to refrain from having any involvement at all. As a result, 1.5 million innocent people were killed. History always repeats itself.
It seems to me that this kind of activity has application across a number of grade levels and courses, and it does not require 1-1 computing. Let me know if you decide to give it a try.
I have a voracious appetite of for online sports commentary, analysis, and rumors. Recently, whether Michigan State's basketball coach, Tom Izzo, would bolt to coach in the pros was the big story around her. At the news conference where he announced his decision to stay in East Lansing, the university president, A.D. and Coach Izzo all criticized "the media" for its role in hyping the story and running off half-cocked with unfounded rumors during the nine day "Will he or won't he?" drama.
The Old Guard
In response to these cliched jabs at the media, our resident dean of sports writing, Mitch Albom, metaphorically cleared his throat with a large harumph! and took the university to task for its criticism of those in his trade:
Look. An institute of higher learning already should know there is no such thing as a single "media" anymore. You cannot put credible newspapers or television stations in the same sentence as tweeters. You cannot lump legit Internet posts with a blog that begins in some guy's basement.
How ironic. If Albom was not so busy with his "entertainment plus news, traffic, sports and weather" radio show , book signings, etc. he might have noticed that his former sports writing buddies (as well as sportscasters) are hustling to become that blogging and tweeting guy in the basement.
What makes Albom an "expert" whose opinion on the Izzo decision has more value than others? He's a talented writer to be sure, but there is little evidence that he follows sports very closely with all his other lucrative distractions. While others lack the same talent for turning a phrase they have not lost their passion for sports. I'm more interested n their opinions. In this 24/7 news age, no voice should get preference simply because of an appointed position based on past journalistic accomplishments.
A Strained Analogy
What makes for expertise these days? I think about this question a good deal. I encourage my students to venture outside the box for their research, seeking untraditional sources of "expertise" for their CBL projects. My whole concept of M-Hub is premised about the importance of learning how to do this for future careers. Through my own initiative and my personal learning network, I have developed areas of "expertise" in educational technology. I actually have thirty hours of post-masters university work in a degree program in this domain. But the university credits toward a degree-- certainly the traditional way of measuring expertise -- are absolutely worthless compared to what I have learned independently.
So, yes Mitch, you write your column from a traditional perch under the Free Press banner (For all I know, you pounded out the words in your basement). But I no longer recognize your expertise on the day-to-day of sports. And since you don't deign to blog or tweet, I don't really follow you very closely. Perhaps your reputation is secure with all those folks who read ink on paper and see you photo above the fold. Good luck with all that.
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Mitch developing his sports expertise at a Seven People You Meet in Heaven book signing. Flickr CC photo by [James]
* Joked about the Tigers with a beat reporter as he covered the game.
* Joined a wonderful new and improved ADE community site. Apple challenges us, but makes us feel good about ourselves.
*Swapped music and blogging tips with a University student.
*Learned about cloud databases from a generous mind in Great Britain.
*Suggested a question to a beat reporter for an NBA press conference. He says he will ask it.
*Asked for advice about web sites from a journalist in China.
*Read interesting blogs, commented on interesting blogs, and written ... blogs
P.S. I've been collaborating with a peer on researching copyright-free music for student projects. Decided to add some Magnatune music to the site. Please indicate in poll whether to keep or ditch.
I imagine that often this sounds like a tech cheer-leading platform. If so, today, I'd like to offer a corrective. Let's reflect together on some recent things that have not gone particularly well:
1) Blogging on Vlogs. I required many more video blogs this year from my A.P. students than last year. Recently there have been quality control issues. I recently rejected two of them because they were inferior. In both cases the students merely read a script with little understanding and less originality. I like the free-wheeling aspect of this activity, but I guess I will have to set some minimal requirements next time. I also have already decided to reduce the number somewhat.
2) While I have developed schemes for making my group project members more accountable to each other, I haven't made progress improving their time management skills. Recently two groups fell quite short of expectations in building their wikis. They had good ideas, but they simply could not get their acts together in order to create their media. If I impose strict schedules on the groups I am taking too much control away from them. If I nag about deadlines, the main result is stirring up anxiety rather than activity. This is a real head-scratcher, because I am up against the procrastination issues I discussed in a recent post.
3) At their best, the challenge projects allow the groups to exploit the special talents of all members. But there is a downside to this as well. It's common for group members to allow others who already know how to make slide shows , movies, etc. to do all the tech work for the group. Adults would do the same thing of course, but I would like to see the students try new tools. Again, if specific requirements are laid down I interfere with the group dynamics and create a prescribed exercise-- not good.
I'll come back to these issues with some new approaches, next Fall. In the mean time, if you have any suggestions. . . .
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"Wipe-out" flickr Creative Commons photo by Mac Sokulski
I recently launched a favorite tech activity in my AP Government Class. Students independently watch a political documentary film. This year's group wanted to draw draft choices and then took turns selecting a film from my list of 30.
After watching the film, students will create a ten minute podcast. Students were given instructions for issues to address in the podcast, and given tips on how to use GarageBand and Audacity. On a designated due date students must submit their mp3s and I then post them to an iWeb blog page.
Then, the fun begins: Each student is assigned to listen to two other podcasts and "review" them on the blog page. Again, they are given specific instructions on what points to consider in their "two page" review.
Since the podcasts and reviews are published to a blog site (password protected) all students in the class have access to all the productions. Knowing this generally brings out the best in both the podcasts and the written work.
While posting the ten minute podcasts is a chore for me (any suggestions on how I might relieve myself of this chore in a password protected space?), I always look forward to reviewing the results-- It sure beasts reading a stack of term papers! ----------------------------------------------- Screen shot from AP Gov class vlog site
People still say things to me like, "This will make you happy - I'm not using paper for [such and such]." This is odd, since to my recollection I have never scolded other teachers not to use paper.
I subscribe to a weekend newspaper and a magazine simply so I can have full access to their online services. When the dead-trees arrive at my house they usually go straight to the recycling bin. This is a horrible business model, no?
Over the last year and a half, I have had more questions from other teachers about Google Docs than any other tech subject. Rather than highlighting how tricky Docs are, this testifies to their ease of use and classroom functionality-- folks are eager to adopt them.
Recently, I sent my Consumer Technology Revisits my Film Class to Netflix and the MHS English Department for comment. The comments? The deafening sounds of silence from both parties .
I have totally succumbed to one social media addiction-- tracking #mlb trade rumors on Twitter.
After maintaining this blog for almost a year and a half, have really come to appreciate the ability of bloggers like Tom Schusterbauer and Patrick Hayes to spark a discussion.
We had a staff appreciation dinner, last week, where I was honored for thirty-five years of service. I came away not only feeling appreciated for things that I have done in the past, but also how genuinely my school supports me as I try our this new tool and that new method. Despite complaints to the contrary MHS is still a place where teachers have considerable autonomy.
I've reached an age where now and then folks ask me about my "retirement plans." I have none. But, the other day I was thinking that if I did retire from teaching, I would enjoy creating a daily sports blog-- basketball or baseball. Lots of tweeting too!
It's become fairly common for peers to request tech consultation with me-- usually involving new projects. I really enjoy these collaboratio, but almost always have to schedule them before or after school. It's also tough to follow-up on the projects. I wish I had some release time to do more. That's my pre-retirement dream.
--------------------------------------------- "Ceiling Detail" Flickr Creative Commons photo courtesy of Onion.
I invited School Media Specialist, Katy Koskela, to submit a guest blog in order to shift this blog's perspective away from that of a classroom teacher's (if only for one post). Katy, incidentally, helped get me into presenting at conferences-- She urged me to apply to MAME 36. Her post concludes my guest series.
Today’s educational paradigm focuses on “collaboration” as a key word in discussions of teaching methods, student work, & professional development.It is enlightening to note the facets of that practice and concept depending on viewpoint.As a school media specialist, teacher librarian or school librarian (take your pick of any or all titles) my professional organizations (AASL and MAME for example) provide guidance and examples of best practice.Much of it revolves around reasons and ways to collaborate with colleagues, both other school library media specialists (SLMS) and the classroom teachers and administrators we all work with.
There is a degree of trust and openness to collaboration.Each has to believe in the others’ abilities to contribute something of value to the whole.The title “teacher librarian” that is gaining favor with many in my profession, recognizes the duality of our training and roles.We are certified teachers and librarians with master’s degrees in that organizational and research discipline.Most school librarians come to the field after a period in the classroom. They understand the challenges faced by classroom teachers and can be valuable allies in this time of shrinking budgets, increasing state standards, a changing technical “banquet,” and students that have gown up in a multi-media milieu.
At a recent meeting, 10 SLMSs of varying ages and experiences working at all levels K-12, were asked the question, “What does collaboration mean to you?”Phrases such as:
·“Twice the knowledge and experience in one shot.”
·“I bring expertise in topics that complement the classroom teacher’s knowledge base.”
·“Communication is key.It’s impossible to collaborate in a vacuum. I am a value-added commodity, but I don’t this the teachers know that!Talk to me!”
·“Today we focus on the whole package: resources (digital and not), processes, connections, enabling intellectual curiosity, and time-saving assistance for all.”
Every group has their guru, and one for the SLMS community is Joyce Valenza, high school media specialist extraordinaire!I have decided she must not need much sleep to function at a very high level – especially when I look at a “typical day in the life of Joyce!!She is an initiator, collaborating on a broad scale with a multitude of people and groups.It doesn’t take a close lens to see that she is a HUGE proponent of using the Web 2.0 tools, weaving instruction & applicability throughout her interactions with “information problem-based learning, requiring learners to effectively and creatively find, evaluate, analyze, use, and communicate information.” (1) I think she would agree she views collaboration as “connecting my learners and my colleagues with each other and the tools they need to do business today.” (2) She and Doug Johnson collaborated to write a wonderful article for School Library Journal that describes their expectations for school librarians.We all would aspire to those goals, but some are more willing/able to jump in and “own” them!
I agree with their points, but personally feel another colleague, Annette Lamb, speaks for those of us that feel burdened sometimes by the technology impetus and/or challenges facing us due to short staffing, limited budgets, time, and money. Although I’ve added to and slightly adapted her recommendation to LEAD ….I agree with her that sometimes it happens with baby steps ! (3) I’m trying to walk faster and take bigger steps!!
Over the next few weeks I will be presenting some guest posts from key folks in my personal learning network.
Lynn Waldsmith is a high school English and Journalism teacher who has become an active ed tech adventurer. Here she reflects on how she have used tech in her courses and why she is determined to do it.
When parents, teachers, and other adults discover that I used to work for The Detroit News, many give me these knowing glances and comments. “Ohhh,” they say with a nod and a smile. “Aren’t you glad you’re no longer in journalism? You got out just in time. Bet you’re glad you have a ‘safe’ job now.”
While it’s true that traditional jobs have been slashed at newspapers everywhere as the transitioncontinues from old media to new, I decided to become a teacher for two reasons: I love to teach young adults and I love my subject matter – English and journalism. Indeed, embarking on a mid-life career switch felt anything but “safe”. I wasn’t running away from technology to the safe, non-technological haven of education. I was leaving a career that I had been quite good at and had always enjoyed. But teaching was a risk that I wanted to take. Indeed, I wanted to share my love for the subject matter and inspire others to enjoy it as much as I always have.
So it strikes me as ironic that many teachers fail to understand that they are not immune to the shift in the technological paradigm that is affecting journalists. It’s just slower in coming to education. Just as new media journalists must embrace change, so must teachers be willing to take some risks in the classroom -- or risk failing to help their students think critically in an increasingly complex global marketplace of ideas.
Like most time-starved teachers, I know I can’t possibly become a tech-savvy wizard overnight. So I’m trying a few things at a time and learning while I go. This year, in particular, I made a more concerted effort to incorporate more technology in my teaching. I decided to try a blog and podcasting for the first time. I’ve been using the blog for my journalism students to post weekly updates that either reinforce something we’ve discussed in class or preview an upcoming topic. The blog works as a great tool for including links to outside reading or video clips of real life examples of things like bias in the news.
In my British Literature class, I introduced podcasting as an activity at the end of our unit on The Canterbury Tales. Students had to create and record their own “modern” Canterbury Tale. Then they attached their podcasts to a google site that I created for the class. While there were a few glitches along the way, these podcasts were, for the most part, a successful way for students to emulate and appreciate Chaucer’s work while sharing and showcasing their creativity. I have even tried Twitter this year for the first time, and while I don’t like it as much as blogging or podcasting, I no longer feel Twitter is for the birds.
In short, I no longer worry about whether my students have more tech expertise than I do. They often do. So what? They don’t have my world experience or expertise in the subject area. I also know what every good journalist knows: there is no safety net. We must all adapt and take risks.
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"Balance without Safety Net" Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Ikhlasul Amal
Back in May, I recommended ten RSS Feeds. Here are eight more from my Reader that I think offer something special, depending on your interests
*SeanNash is a biology teacher and "instructionalist coach" in Missouri. He is also a terrific writer who lucidly communicates his enthusiasm for technology and teaching innashworld.
*faire alchemist, the paperless teacher of classics has boundless energy and extremely provocative ideas-- pure dynamite. He's edgy and out there. though he posts a little too much for my tastes I check them all out atTeachPaperless.
*For a more main stream turn at ed tech, follow Liz Davis's The Power of Educational Technology. Her ideas a always sound and she clearly is a great Director of Academic Technology at Belmont Hill School.
This is the most cerebral recommendation, but I am a George Siemens devotee and if I have made anyone curious about his educational model, you'll want to follow him in Connectivism.
This is a niche recommendation. I teach film, but rarely go to movie houses anymore. I watch dvds by the dozens, instead. Most of these come from Netflix and the library, but I am hooked on Criterion flims and have a small collection, favoring Akira Kurosawa and film noir classics. The Criterion Contraption. Matthew Dessem has the object of viewing all the Criterion films and reviewing them one by one. His reviews match the high quality of his subject matter.
Pat Caputo'sOpen Book remains my favorite Detroit area sports blog, but John Niyo of the Detroit News does a terrific job blogging on pro football. If you are an NFL fan, place his Lions Blog in your reader, posthaste.
If you are an Apple aficionado like I am, you will definitely want a daily hit of Cult of Mac.
I recommended The Big Picture from the Boston Globe before, but it is so good that it bears repeating. The high definition photos are invariably fascinating.
--------------------------------------------------- "Management Decision Making Tool" Flickr Creative Commons photo by rbieber
I came across Chris Lake's 25 Things Journalists Can Do to Future-Proof Their Careers and was struck by how many applied to educators. Now granted, powerful social and institutional forces insure that schools as we know them won't disappear as quickly as the printed newspaper has. This is why I changed Lake's title to "should do" as applied to teachers. For a private 1:1 school such as mine, I would prefer the title "must do," as I believe our future may depend upon it.
Here are twelve steps that today's journalists and educators can and should take to stay in step with the times:
*Start a blog - "This will be very empowering...."
*Collaborate - "People can achieve so much more when they work together."
*Feeds - "Learn how to monitor your subjects,. . .Do this easily by setting up RSS feeds for search terms on sites like Google News, Twitter and Digg."
*Embrace Twitter - "Follow influencers and use Twitter as a filter."
*Produce Video - "It is easier than ever to shoot and distribute video... you have the option of telling stories in richer ways."
*Mobile is Truly a Wonderful Tool - "It has never been easier to capture ideas, build out stories, and publish content."
*Learn to Love Links - "Links are what make the online world spin."
*Ignore the Hype - "Some buzzwords are more meaningless than others . . . occasionally something that sounds terrible is actually full of substance and worth investigating."
*Participate - "Be seen, be heard. Leave comments"
*Network - "Make connections on and offline."
*Be Platform Agnostic - "The best [educators] will be able to transfer their skills across platforms.
*Do It Now - "Don’t delay. Don’t fear the web. Don’t wait for your boss to tell you to learn some new skills. If you have a mental barrier and have filed yourself under ‘offline’ then slap yourself about the face, have a stiff drink, and then reset your watch. Forget about yesterday. There’s no time like the present. Embrace all that's available to you. . . ."
---------------------- "Street Art - No Future on the Streets of Dublin" Flickr Creative Commons Photo by infomatique
My blog title, "Follow your Passion....Connect Your Dots" comes from some notes from the ADE Institute that I tapped out on my iPod Touch. (I'm not sure who said it, the context, or even if it is exact). The metaphor speaks very strongly to my experience.
Connecting with Others (Input) I was one of the first people in my professional circle to really "get into" a listserv. Shakesper was a revelation to me. Having online exchanges with the giants of academia like John W. Velz and Stanley Wells was unspeakably exciting for a high school teacher like myself. Now, I do the majority of reading for news, sports, education, and tech based on the blogs and articles that come my way from my RSS Reader and Twitter.
Connecting with Others (Input) The Opinion Drive-thru was originally a political blog. During the Obama nomination campaign I actually posted blogs simultaneously on my Obama page where it was more frequently read. Sometimes I posted podcasts. Sometimes I posted on educational subjects. (Usually I didn't post at all). But these were my fledgling efforts to connect-- narcissistic to be sure, by fulfilling a need to reach a wider audience. A year ago I got my Flip camera and began to learn iMovie. Now I have a YouTube channel. I make movies with Keynote, PhotoToMovie, and iMovie. For the past four months it has been a great hobby and a nice outlet for my ideas, knowledge, and opinions.
A Reflection Some of my friends seem to be suffering from the insularity of their school. They are tired of the same old office politics. They strike me as paranoid and deeply anxious, suffering cases of classic "burn out". Connecting with others has spared me this fate. As I started my thirty-fifth year of teaching, I realized that I no longer saw my work as exclusively taking place in a building or classroom. I have the strongest self-image that I have possessed as a professional: I see myself with a unique set of abilities for integrating the Read/Write web with curriculum. I enjoy this sense of uniqueness and like sharing it with an inner circle of colleaguesand with fellow educators around the globe.
I wake up most days looking forward to connecting more dots-- not a bad way to meet the day. --------------------------------------------- "Connecting the Dots" Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Irina Souiki
When I first started blogging at the Drive-thru, my intended focus was political. I suppose I intended to air out the issues of the day, spark debate, and gather an audience. That didn't last long. I simply didn't feel like I was adding much new to the topics that had already been chewed over before I got to them.
When I shifted the Drive-thru to an instructional technology focus, I still hungered for an audience and hoped to-- at least within my own building-- foster discussion on a subject that had really captured my imagination. I track my readership numbers pretty carefully and feel a special surge of motivation when the posts attract comments. But I have come to realize that blogging has important value to me regardless of how widely it is read or how much social interaction it generates.
Blogging actually helps me stay committed to my experiments." While not exactly a matter of "keeping me honest", the public record created by blogging helps me to carry out my intentions. If I mention at the Drive-thru that I am trying a new techie trick, invariably I report back, even if I wiped out. Being willing to risk and experience those failures is critical to innovation.
Blogging on a regular schedule also encourages me to read more widely and turn over more rocks, looking for posting ideas. It encourages me to try new tools and pilot new strategies in the classroom. In this way, feeding the blog has actually contributed to my professional development.
Most importantly, like a journal, the writing in the Web log forces me to think hard about what I believe about education. Next week, I am returning to my three posts a week schedule (M,W,F) and I am going to begin with a three part "manifesto" of what amounts to my ed tech philosophy. Certainly this is not a subject likely to increase my readership, but it's been a great mental exercise. With over a hundred ed tech blog posts under my belt, I am ready to bite off and chew some educational philosophy at the Drive-thru.
--------------------------------------------------------------- "We Love Blog" Flickr Creative Commons photo by kawade
