FarBucks

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) announces winners of 2008 Educator Awards

Dr. Stephen F. Waddell, BISD superintendent, was named "Superintendent of the Year" by the Texas Computer Education Association on Tuesday, February 5. He led BISD into a leadership position within the state of Texas in the area of technology. Waddell stretched the district team by setting a visionary example when it came to the use of technology. He has remained knowledgeable of technological changes, understanding the application needs of the district, and then having the vision to bring them together. The technology tools he implemented brought a district consisting of 32 separate campuses and a cumbersome infrastructure into a single unit capable of sharing and transferring data with ease.

Congratulations to Dr. Stephen F. Waddell.

:)

The above article was sent out today.  I wanted to give credit where credit due.  Dr. Waddell is the leader who first introduced me to wikis and blogs, personal web pages and You Tube.  He's the first person I heard talk about the need to be aware of this thing called Web 2.0.  He clearly deserves this award.  Although I continue to have two issues with him, I must admit that it was under his leadership that I was first challenged to become involved in a whole new adventure and chapter in my educational career.  I never would have read a blog or explored a wiki if it weren't for his pushing.  I want to thank him for his leadership in this area and I applaud the TCEA for recognizing his work in this area.

:)

...What?

The two issues I have with him?

Well, if you must know:

1. Despite my best efforts (including encouragement, cajoling, and begging), I cannot get him to blog.  I would not push it except for the fact that he's a natural.  It's our loss that he won't blog on a regular basis.  I'm sure he has his reasons, and I honor them, but even if he'd just post once a month like we do on Leadertalk, he would quickly find an audience.
2. I cannot beat the man at Trivia.  I have been throwing my best Rock 'n Roll Trivia at him for years now and have yet to stump him.  I tell ya, he's some kinda spooky Zen Guru Walking Rock 'n Roll Encyclopedia Jedi Master.  I have no problem with him riding his motorcycle across country a la Easy Rider.  And I admit he plays a strong harmonica and can do a Blues Brothers or Jimmie Lee Vaughan number with the best of them.  But c'mon, SUPERINTENDENTS just are not supposed to know the lyrics to every Aerosmith song AND the middle names of every member of Nine Inch Nails. 

Seriously,

Well done Dr Waddell.  It's an honor working with you!

Tossing Dan A Lifeline

My colleague, Dan, who I consider to be the epitome of The Prototype Teacher 2.0 is taking fire across the bow because he's once again asking those pesky questions that stir up the Classroom 2.0 purists.

I can't sit by and not comment this time. I'm tossing a lifeline and hoping it helps him keep his head above the water.  Not that he needs my help, mind you, but sometimes it's just good to hear a friendly voice of support.

Dan is my prime example of today's teacher who is trying to pull current research, best practices, promising practices, Classroom 2.0 technologies, and proven past methods into one coherent instructional delivery model.  Occasionally he is being sidetracked by purists who seem to feel that implementing Classroom 2.0 automatically excludes any teaching method older than 2006. 

I'm not sure where anyone has gotten the impression that the Good Old Stand Up Lecture is out-moded, out-dated, or God forbid, out-lawed.

Afterall, I first learned about Web 2.0 and Classroom 2.0 through...ta da...LECTURES! How ironic, eh?

It's the same principle that keeps orchestra conductors from being replaced with metronomes.

For the record, I maintain that TO THIS DAY the best way to assess a teachers ability is to take them outside, give them a group of 20 students, no pencils, no paper, no electricity, nothing but a pleasant day and a tree to sit under.  And tell them to teach.  A true TEACHER would take this opportunity and run with it.  I'm afraid Classroom 2.0 disciples would sit and show symptoms of withdrawal. [No Powerpoint?  Nope.  What about my laser pointer?  Nope.  How do I start?]

Yes, I've seen versions of this during power outages.  My new staff flounders.  "Oh, jeez, no power, what to we do?"  My veterans open the windows, turn on a flashlight, (or whatever), and plow ahead.

Dan is using technology as a TOOL, not a crutch.  He doesn't worry about the "focal points" in all the "noise" of his Powerpoints just because he want a snazzy techno-teaching production.  He only sweats that type of detail in order to prevent the tool from becoming a distraction to the learning process.

Let me say that again, because it lies at the heart of what Dan is doing that is absolutely correct and models the ultimate use of Classroom2.0.

Dan only sweats that type of detail in order to prevent the tool from becoming a distraction to the learning process.  The medium is not the message.

Lectures are still a totally appropriate means of instructional delivery. Frankly, they always will be. I doubt that even when holographic technology makes it possible for a fully actualized 3D teacher to meet one-on-one with a student 100 miles away that it will replace the significant and subtle forms of interaction that humans need.   

Teaching cannot be fully automated.  Correction, teaching should not be allowed to become fully automated. 

True teaching and learning MUST allow for subtleties and nuance, for opinions expressed in tone of voice, for emphasis via a small hand gesture, or doubt cast with the slightest raising of an eyebrow.

Why is it the same Mozart on a printed sheet of music can be made to sound so different depending on the personal touch a conductor gives it?  Why can the same sermon - word for word - either put me to sleep to keep me on the edge of my seat depending on the style of the preacher?  Why did Mr. Smith nearly kill my desire to learn chemistry the first semester while Mr. Aizawa brought the Periodic Table to life in the second semester?  [More - MUCH more on this in future blogs**]

Student work products must be allowed to be presented and enhanced with technologies, but a wise teacher MUST look through the glitz of a Power point with sound effects, fireworks, and embedded videos of dancing elephants and pull out the KNOWLEDGE that the student gained.

Remember: it's all about GAINING KNOWLEDGE.  Classoom 2.0 means nothing without factoring in the all important component of VALUE ADDED.

Dan is becoming an expert at revolving around the issues, peeling away the onion, and pioneering how Everything 2.0 has a purpose and place in the classroom. The tried and true methods of memorization, drill, practice, teacher-led discussions, etc. are still very much valid. 

Bear in mind: Web 2.0, Classroom 2.0, Teacher 2.0, Technology 2.0, EVERYTHING 2.0 are meant as enhancements - NOT REPLACEMENTS.

2.0 Progress Report - Part IV

Progress toward creating a paperless office / environment took a big step forward when we elimiated paper during staff inservice at the start of the year...

When the staff reportsed to work for the first time, they received one piece of paper with instructions for the week. One of the instructions is about how to use their new flashdrive to download all the information usually handed out during the first days of teacher inservice.

This year, instead of being given a folder that looked like this in the past:

They will be handed a lanyard with a new flashdrive attached:

The flashdrive has been loaded with all the handouts and information that staff needs to have at the beginning of the year: schedules, class times, meeting agendas, and the entire Campus Emergency Plan. I’m recommending that each staff member dowload everything from the flashdrive to their My Documents folder. I will encourage everyone to keep such things on the flashdrive as basic emergency information and the staff call list.

We laughed as we were loading the flashdrives because it honestly took more time to open the hermetically sealed hard plastic case and then thread the lanyard than it did to actually download all the data.

This was the first real use of my new USB Hub Work Station. We could load one, two, three, or four in seconds.

Here’s Lori modeling the flashdrive. Note that she is even color-coordinated!

Technorati Tags: paperless_office flashdrives educational_technology

2.0 Progress Report - Part III

Our move toward Everything 2.0 is on-track. Actually, I believe we are actually ahead of schedule.

Staff volunteered for late Friday afternoon inservice - THAT’s dedication!

Three of the highlights I want to emphasize in our journey so far:

1) PAPERLESS My office is now paperless. Giving the staff flashdrives was a big hit, and we continue to receive positive input on our progress in this area.

2) BLOGGING The staff and students are responding to the campus blog. It has been rewarding to read the comments being made by both staff and especially students. Input has been for the most part very thought-provoking and beneficial. Staff have left excellent suggestions via comments, email, or the issue bin. Students have raised interesting points of view to various issues. Gradually, the level of overall awareness as to the potential of the web (e.g. in webpages and bogs) is being increased and discussed among staff and students.  IN FACT: the blogging was going too well.  There was such a overwhelming student response, I have decided to redesign the blog.  I am in the process of creating a new Student/School site as opposed to Faculty/School site.  More on this as we progress...

3) INSERVICE The staff is becoming more understanding and accepting of the potential of personal web pages for their classes. We held a class for Beginning Level Web Page Creation last FRIDAY AFTERNOON - (yes, the very end of the day at the end of a long week) - and it was well-attended. In keeping with the research that says staff needs structured, planned time for professional training in targeted areas, I have arranged for each teacher to have one day with a sub this year. They will spend that entire day 1:1 with our campus Instructional Technology Specialist being personally tutored in the area or project of their choice (ie. webpage maintenance, blogging, website building, self-publishing, etc.).

”Where’s the Any Key??”

Randy Rodgers GREATEST I.T.!

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Cooperative Learning at its best.

We are definitely making huge strides!

Technorati Tags: staff_training Web_2.0 web_page blogging paperless_office

2.0 Progress Report - Part II

I am using these charts to track progress of implementing tools and protocols on campus to enable widespread entry and exposure to the WWW2.0.

  

2.0 Progress Report -Part I

Take My Belief Statement. My Educational Philosophy. My Mission Statement. Put them all together and you will hear:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Learning Has Left the Building"

Classroom 2.0 cannot be defined with traditional educational terminology.

As many are discovering, technology has allowed Learning to get up and walk out of the classroom. In fact, Learning kept walking right out of the school building...and is now on a Universal Walkabout. Attempts to harness Learning and force it back into the schoolhouse are doomed to failure.

Learning has discovered that it no longer needs to contain itself within the covers of a textbook, or behind the walls of a building. Perhaps most revolutionary is that Learning is beginning to understand that it is not confined by any artificial boundaries or borders...be they geographic, political, economic, religious, or social.

I am an active parent watching and walking along as Learning discovers its new legs, new potential, and new horizons. I am a laborer rapidly trying to clear obstacles that might impede Learning's new path. I am the blended combination of teacher/student - trying to stay one step ahead and discover the new potentials one minute and teaching them the next. I am a zealous disciple preaching the coming of the New Learning. But ultimately, once Learning realizes and embraces its ever-expanding, unlimited potential, I will be left behind...nothing more than its proud progeny...I will hopefully have become a learner.

I am not alone. A small, but growing community is aware and spreading the word that Learning is on the loose and can no longer be confined with previous definitions.

From the smallest most remote classrooms on earth, to the largest most sophisticated universities in the world, be on notice. Things have changed. The proverbial paradigm has not just shifted, it's been eradicated altogether. It has sailed right off the edge of our Flat Earth!

Yes, Learning has gone on a Universal Walkabout. Learning is now Global. Learning is now personal. Learning is now a Collaborative Community. Learning is now purely individualized.