What Do Teachers Need?

Where does one begin? Smaller classroom sizes, more money, more resources, more respect for those who are establishing the people of tomorrows future… the list is long, arduous, sometimes seemingly insurmountable. A friend and EdTech leader in AZ (and beyond), recently posed the following inquiry, and the answer to this question might be some we CAN get our hearts and minds around:

.. please list ” five technologies (more if you’d like) that every teacher should know how to use. They could be Web 2.0 or not.”

Well, I have been cogitating over this for a few days and am trying to be very critical and intentional with what I consider. Here’s what I have so far… though as you will see, it is not ALL technology. Some architecture is required.

Caveat: Every district, community, leadership and Board have different expectations of what technology can and should and does mean. I know from experience that the district, infrastructure and focus of my K-12 environment is not the same as the next – there is inconsistent (if any) real equity between communities, schools, leaders, funds… Decision tree’s are developed in relative vacuum’s – not with any larger state or national or international view – unless funding is involved.  All this is said as I try to take a broad view, what can ALL teachers, in ANY kind of community NEED. My personal focus is, as always, 21st Century Skills for a Global Environment.

My sister-in-law recently discussed this phrase with me, ‘think globally, act locally’ as we applied this to 21st Century Skills – what helps THIS PLACE at THIS TIME, helping students feel connected at an authentic level to an authentic issue… that is absolutely the 21st Century model that I see aided and abetted through appropriate technology in the right place, at the right time, NOT for technology sake. She was talking about real-world and authentic issues at home, in the district, in the community and that is precisely what 21st Century education is all about.

At this moment in time (This list should actually apply to teachers, students and district leaders):

• Laptop with wireless access – to help educators own mobility, learn or improve’ taking their show on the road’, and how to robustly and FEARLESSLY access more than resources but access ideas, blog, podcast, vodcast, gps – in the field – NOT doomed to being tied to a little cable and a huge desktop machine at a stationary desk, in a corner of a classroom. This will enable them to begin visioning for their students, the already mobile set.

• Smart Phone - same as above, just smaller!!! Many students are already well-connected to their lives via their phones, teachers need to understand and apply the power in that little palm sized computer. Students value this electronic medium, so must the educators, finding relevant ways these TOOLS fit the demands of NCLB education.

• Social Network -  Become involved with at least ONE EDUCATIONALLY focused social network, of the users choice (not district mandated – so they enjoy it and it doesn’t feel like WORK, cause it isn’t!) extending educator consciousness beyond school walls and school day. If we value this for our students, we must nurture it in our educators. Addendum (9:24pm), walking in union Square this evening, I realized it would have been proper to suggest some sites, there are many other meaningful educationally focused and purposed social networking sites. Each of us needs to find the content and ‘community’ most meaningful to our needs and best suited to our personalities.. But if you have no idea where to begin, might I suggest:

List of Ning Social Networks in Education

Special Education in the 21st Century - Educators, Parents and EdTech Leaders discuss and share resources for bringing Web 2.0 and 21st Century Skills to Special needs students   http://21stcenturysped.ning.com/

Classroom 2.0; Web 2.0 and Collaborative Technologies for Education
http://www.classroom20.com
10,000 Members strong (as of 7-25-08)

PBS Teachers Connect -Launched July 2008
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/connect/

Using Ning for Educational Social Networks
http://education.ning.com/
2,000 Members strong (as of 7-25-08)

The Teacher Collaborative; Putting great minds together to create 21st Century Classrooms http://teachercollaborative.ning.com/

EduSpaces Social networking site dedicated to education and educational technology
http://eduspaces.net/

RezEd   Educators Social Network for Second Life http://www.rezed.org/

• Safe Haven – Here I divert, but I think NOTHING can happen without ENVIRONMENT… This is for the Teachers, but teachers cannot achieve this state without support and encouragement from Principals, Superintendents, Board, Community members, Legislators and Parents. Teachers (and students and in fact all the groups listed above) MUST have a safe environment in which to share ideas, fears, successes and even FAILURES!!! Only then can an environment truly foster openness to change, innovation, creativity. Ask yourself this, Do you value openness, welcome debate, teaching how to resolve conflict (so that debate can proceed without anger, resentment…?), do you value creativity and innovation? I once read a quote: Don’t tell me what you value, show me how you spend your money and I will tell you what you value.

• Digital Camera & Digital Recorder – to record (or even better, for students ot record) and report on experiences that occur throughout the school year, capturing lectures, opinions, for publication, for photo essays, for DVD’s, podcasts, vodcasts…

• Bandwidth – This is  a larger discussion than simply what  teacher needs, this involves equity and community will (funding and priority)  Track back to ATIC posting

• Internet - District and community expectation that educators and students have or develop strong internet skills  & evolving skills – this involves an environment that values on-going learning for educators as  well as students.

There is lots of rhetoric, students first, no child left behind, academics first. To rework that wonderful quote I mentioned earlier:  Show me where you put your energy, money, your actions, what is the environment REALLY like and I can tell you what you REALLY value. And, although the above list was not in any order of importance, I think that SAFE HAVEN has to be first, before anything else will fall into place.  I am still thinking about this ‘list’ regularly, but with these basics in place, I am confidant that 21st century literacies and appropriate Web 2.0 tools will rise to the surface, revealing their relevance and importance.

Wow! This was a far more interesting mental exercise than I had expected, when I read that brief email message. Want an opinion? Just ask! It is summer in NYC and the humidity is horrendous, it is stifling MY creativity, so off I go to stand next to the AC.

Off topic:
Whenever I hear NCLB, what really leaps to the forefront of my mind, is the students left behind. I began a social network – just a few weeks ago – on NING for some of our dearest students who are often invisible and left behind. If you would like to participate, or simply see what this group is beginning to do…please feel free to join us.

http://21stcenturysped.ning.com/

Debrief #1: NECC08 or When are TWO feet never enough?

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Yesterday morning, Brett Hinton (ADE) inquired about the best and worst things I got out of NECC. We were walking with Dr. Chris Johnson (AzTEA) who quickly had a thoughtful and considered response. I just needed process time. So I am home now debriefing myself, can one debrief themselves effectively?

The worst: My aching feet, this venue was MASSIVE and included ballrooms and conference rooms in neighboring hotels. A few sessions I selected filled up 20 minutes before start (there were amazing sessions) but then I went to NECC UnPlugged at Bloggers Cafe’ or Second Life Cafe’ and landed in amazing discussions and presentations. So maybe that wasn’t all bad afterall!

Worst of the Worst: already being inside the airport, passed security when this huge thunderstorm hit (I love thunderstorms), and leaving on Tuesday.

The best: The laundry list of wonderful people I met, bumped into, was introduced to. Some I only knew by reputation, some I knew from AZ AzTEA (great showing of AZ folks), some I did not know but they enriched me and enthused me to continue working for equity and leadership embrace of EdTech. Huge AzTEA announcements: Dr. Helen Padgett being announced as President-Elect of ISTE; and then Cathy Poplin (ADE Deputy Associate Superintendent for Educational Technology – Mrs. Poplin was our keynote at AzTEA in Maricopa, February 2008 ) was named to the SETDA, the National State Educational Technology Directors Association, Board of Directors! Meeting James Surowiecki, first keynote and author of ‘The Wisdom of Crowds’ – see book notes below. Being interviewed by Janine Lim of TWICE (Read Around the Planet) for a You Tube piece (lets see how good Janine is at editing…), at NECC UnPlugged I met and listened to amazing people, even meeting one of the originators of Diigo, a social bookmarking/networking site I have only recently begun utilizing. The grass roots quality of our conversation represents what I see as the essence of the UnPlugged ‘UnConference’ philosophy of Steve Hargadon – connecting industry movers & shakers, leaders and creators, visionaries and users in a casual and equal environment. I was also invited to join Gailene Nelson, of Yahoo, and Steve Hargadon, of Classroom 2.0, to a PBS new program roll-out announcement. PBS Teachers Connect went live the very next day, I immediately set up my account and will present this social networking program to our MUSD educators! Social networking in education: Educators sharing authentic experiences and needs. On a personal note, we were then joined by Dr. Peggy George for an amazing Tex-Mex dinner!

Attending SIG IVC (ISTE Special Interest Group for Videoconferencing) – meeting people I had only encountered via email or on-screen, and making great new connections, relationships and absorbing ideas to bring back to my district. I have a passion for advocacy and had the opportunity to participate in the ISTE ABC”s of Advocacy with other AZ representatives, Dr. Chris Johnson (President of AzTEA) Rick Baker (President-elect), and to hear ISTE leaders from around the country (including DC) speak and engage us in thought provoking advocacy ideas. As this all percolated, I was motivated to ask how to originate a SIG for special needs students (adaptive technologies, 21st century skills and technology for differentiated instruction). I believe 21st century technology and the rise of Web 2.0 tools WILL engage our special needs students in new and provocative ways - through ease of publication; improved personal voice (creativity and creation that let us hear an inner voice that they may not be able to articulate). Many of our neediest and most often ‘left behind’ and voiceless students are destined for sheltered-workshops. But many have a cognition that far exceeds that future. I would like to find a group of like minded individuals who see that our severe needs students are more than the sum of their verbal or physical or even (NCLB) cognition. Dr. Padgett advised that the place to start at NECC are the ‘Birds of a Feather’ sessions, to help discover if the NECC community of educators are interested and motivated toward this path. If you know me at all, you know I CANNOT WAIT, nor can these amazing students! I mentioned to Steve Hargadon, Classroom 2.0/NECC UnPlugged, that I was planning to create a NING group. He said there is some work out there already in this area, I shall have to make connections and see how I can compliment and support that direction, learning what is already being done, adding my voice and interests and helping to build this community.

• Update: July 5, 2008. A few days back I launched the NING site: http://21stcenturysped.ning.com/. Feel free to join us and join the conversation.

Best of the best: Connections, new and renewed! Open and equal access to great minds, teachers and administrators in the ‘trenches’ and ‘birds of a feather’.

What is the biggest thing I took away, aside from a renewed understanding and passion for Open Source, creative commons, copyright, tools for advocacy, new ITv ideas and resources, renewed vigor for Second Life as a viable, strong and relevant Professional Development vehicle? I am reminded that after all, there is very little new under the sun. Educators working together and collaborating, building on what has come before, making it relevant through a new lens, is nothing new. That technology evolves at break neck speed – not new. That we all work to identify best practices – not new. Discussion how to best utilize the right technology for improved education of our populations – not new, but not resolved. What is new are the ways in which collaborations occur and the tools being used to facilitate them – social networking – such as Classroom 2.0, the newly released (yesterday morning in fact) PBS Teachers Connect, NECC wiki. the tools – wiki, blog, twitter, chatzy, uStreamTV, You Tube, live casts, podcasts, vidcasts, videoconferencing…… Our collaborators and peers are clearly not only the teacher down the hall, but the teacher around the state, the nation, the world. We are no longer at the precipice of the new global economy, global connections, global education – we are in it!

Ok, I know this is a laundry list of things and doesn’t reflect my ‘transformation’, that is the reason I must debrief.

Book Notes:

James Surowiecki - The Wisdom of Crowds – An incredible book about collective wisdom being smarter than the smartest person in the group. This book, along with one other are the most important books I have read in recent years. I meant to bring my copy along (with all it highlights, dog eared pages and color tabs sticking out) in the event there was a book signing. I forgot to pack it but got to hear Mr. Surowiecki live and meet him at NECC Central, so that was fabulous. We educators talk about creating teams and collaboration and this author put the reasoned thought and observation behind it, adding strength to what we may already intuitively know (or should know), the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

The other book? Well, of course it is ‘A Whole New Mind – Why right-brainers will rule the future’, by Daniel H. Pink. Meaning offense to none – this is my EdTech Torah, aka Bible. Almost every page is dog-eared, stickied, tab’d. This book is so pivotal and important to me that I bought it as a Christmas gift for my key Administrators, at that time – Gina Pinch, Director of Technology and Dr. JoEtta Gonzales, Curriculum Director.

It is an exciting time to be in EdTech, and especially an exciting time to be at MUSD (this is the year of BANDWIDTH!!) and videoconferencing equipment at every campus (versus 1 mounted unit at the HS and 1 portable unit at one elementary). This year we will be opening with 6 Elementary, 2 Middle and 1 High School- is this alien landscape still Maricopa? Just a few short years ago we were 3 schools, an entire district (elem, Ms, Hs) on one wee campus!!!

Goals for EdTech:

• Improve/Expand videoconferencing to more robust, mainstream use, including professional development
• Teachers social networking with teachers using Classroom 2.0 and PBS Connect or utility of their choosing
• More purposeful blogs and get classes to use wiki’s. I have gotten other schools to use them, why not my home school – Note to self: Craft fresh message
• Administrators, Teachers, Students – First break down barriers of understanding and acceptance engaging staff and students in using already created Podcasts (iTunesU), VidCasts (Student News), Teacher Tube, You Tube appropriately (Yes, even You Tube can have a place in the academic realm) for the appropriate outcome, then move toward creation audio and publishing podcasts (RSS), maybe vodcasting. I already have one Administrator, our Curriculum Director, Dr. JoEtta Gonzales, lined up to blog and podcast on a regular basis. The point – well modeling for sure, but mostly opening the doors of communication to the local community and beyond, using the most appropriate and timely means available.
• Stronger advocacy and focus on mainstreaming Web 2.0 with special needs populations
• Stronger advocacy for the value, importance and urgency that should be assigned to EdTech – for all populations
• And hardest of them all: Listen more, Observe more – Talk less (Hard for a NYC girl)

Challenge Question: The hardest word, yet most important to define, when working to reshape educational goals through an Educational technology lens…

Define transformation, using an EdTech, Education lens. Comments solicited.