It has been an interesting week in Doha. The government Supreme Council has decreed that all schools stay closed until October 4th in an effort to curb the spread of Swine Flu. What makes matters more complicated is that this announcement came on the tail of a weeklong holiday for Eid, so I haven’t seen my students in over two weeks. The decree caused a lot of anxiety for all the schools here in Doha, because no one was sure how long it could last. People began to speculate and spread rumors that Qatar may follow the examples of other Gulf states like Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia who will remain closed until November, but it looks like we will be back in school sooner than that. This temporary closing of schools, however, has brought to light some very interesting aspects of distance learning. (E-Learning, “virtual” learning)
Because my school does not have a virtual school platform like Moodle or Blackboard, we have opted to simply asked the teachers to post pages, links, .pdfs and .doc to our school’s CSM run website. While this presentation of worksheets and online activities is limited in scope, it is still better than nothing.
The American School, where my wife works, is fairing a bit better and has even received some press for their use of Blackboard. For years they have been encouraging teachers to use Blackboard for such an emergency, and while teachers have begrudgingly posted a few assignments here and there the tool has largely been unused till now. Now that the emergency is upon them, however, teachers are scrambling to quickly learn how to become “virtual” teachers, and in doing so are finding the limitations, not only of Blackboard as a tool, but they are also realizing that teaching using online tools is more than simply posting assignments on a web storage space.
Teaching online, or being a virtual teacher, is more than a skill set; it is a mindset and a philosophy. Teachers who are well versed in a variety of tools, not just Blackboard will fair much better in times of crisis and will be better prepared for finding ways to reach their students than say teachers who rarely use technology at all. Teachers who themselves are connect and use many tools for their own learning will barely miss a step. While I understand the unease these teachers are experiencing, I think their apprehension speaks more to the limitations offered not only by blackboard, but of school philosophies when it comes to technology use and pedagogy.
This crisis has clearly illustrated that creating a valuable web-friendly ethos/community of teachers well versed with technology, is the first step in creating a sustainable system to deal with not only emergencies, but in helping to maintain strong ties between teachers and students beyond the classroom. Communicating with students outside the classroom whether through Blackboard or other free online tools must be an ongoing activity for the entire school. If students are used to checking a blog for assignments or working on a Google Doc with a peer, then not being in school will not impact their schooling as much as say a student who has no way to contact their teacher beyond email.
I am not writing this post to make teachers feel bad about their or to discredit any schools. We are all doing the best we can. I just want to point out that using technology is not something that schools can force their teachers to do only in times of emergency. Teachers who are not familiar with a variety of tools that will help them connect with their students will stumble and become anxious when forced to change the way they teach. Schools must imagine different possibilities:
We need to imagine a school where everyone blogs- teachers, students, parents, and administration. Imagine a school that has its own youtube channel and podcast space. Imagine a school that uses chatzy as a back channel even when school is in session. Imagine a school where students are constantly working together using Google Docs and wikis. Imagine a school where almost every knows how to use several tools to connect, communicate, and collaborate. Imagine a school where the school day never ends, and the work can be done anywhere any time. Imagine a school where the teacher uses class time to coach and guide and not lecture or “teach.”
This is the type of school I am trying to build. You can use Blackboard, but the beauty of the Web is that it is all free and available to us all. We simply must be able to take some risks and trust our students to learn from their mistakes.
Here are some examples of what is possible:
I had planned to use this week to get my students started on our online 2.0 journey. I already have two classrooms, one in Canada and one in Thailand, waiting to meet us. We have sketched out some rough ideas of how our three classes will interact, but I needed to start showing my students the tools and skills they will need to make the kinds of connections I want them to make throughout the year. I was going to walk them through each step in class, but due to Swine Flu we were forced to “just do it.”
I was actually a bit excited when I heard we would not be in school. Rather than fumble around with how I would deliver my traditional material, I began instead to think about how I would help my students quickly learn about and use a variety of tools that would help them connect and stay tuned with our class community. I was not interested in posting worksheets for them to complete. I wanted to recreate our classroom online, so we could have conversations. It is this sense of community that I feel is missing from Blackboard.
The first thing I did was launch our class blog. I had planned to start blogging soon anyway, so it was perfect timing. I used the blog as the central place to communicate with the kids. Unlike Blackboard where individual classes are closed and hard to access, a simple blog allows me to share information, media, and much more in an environment that inspires commenting, conversations, and community. The hope was to quickly create an area where we could meet and move onto completing a variety of tasks.
Once the blog was published, I had to find a way to direct the kids to it. Out of 50 students I had the emails of about 29; I started there. I posted a link on our school website under the page for English work, and on the first day I had 81 visits to the blog. Because my students are not yet familiar with RSS, I had to find a way to let them know when there was going to be new posts.
I decided to create a Facebook Fan Page, (I have asked that adults not become a fan of the page yet. I want my students to feel safe and really understand what we are doing, before I introduce our network to the bigger global network.) In three days already has 23 fans. I embedded a Facebook feed in the sidebar to allow students who do not have Facebook a chance to stay tuned with announcements. I can now also send the group updates straight from Facebook. I now have an easy way to share class announcements with the kids in the place where they spend their time online. Instead of hoping that they would check Blackboard, I know that they can simply get an status update telling them to take a survey on the blog as they chat with their friends.
For the first task, I asked students to create Gmail accounts. Later in the year I want to use Google Docs and Google Reader, so I felt that this was a crucial first step. With little help from me, I now have 23 students created Gmail accounts. A few students had problems so I set up a chatzy chat room to answer questions. I experimented with various video conferencing sites and dodged a major bullet and didn’t use Tiny Chat due to some inappropriate material on their site, but found TokBox to be very useful and I hope to use it in the future.
I’ve used Youtube as a way to create videos for my students who are not native English speakers and may not be able to read all of the text on the site. As the students perform each task, I give them a little more to do. They have in three days: created Gmail accounts, commented on a blog, signed up to be a Facebook Fan, responded to some quotes and images, and finally answered a survey I posted from a Google Form.
Not only have I not fallen behind this week, I have actually helped my kids learn real life skills by doing and not just talking about it. By quickly building our online community, I think the kids will better understand the power of these tools and how they can use them to help their learning.
I hope you will stay tuned to what we are doing throughout the year. I have big plans for the year and this is a great group of kids. We will create individual blogs next week, as well as set up RSS on Google Reader, begin to think about tagging bookmarks with Delicious, and we will set up a class wiki and Flickr page. Why have I chosen these tools? I see them as the most vital for my own learning. I use them often, feel comfortable using them, and I really understand their value in creating a network.
Empowering teachers to use these tools is a huge first step in creating a school that can function on or offline without missing a step. Swine Flu or no Swine Flu, I know my class will be connected and ready to learn, share, and teach others. The question now is how do we get other teachers on board and feeling comfortable using these tools?
If you are interested and want ideas on how to be a more effective virtual teacher join us on our journey. We are learning as we go, but would love the company. What do you think? How has Swine Flu affected your teaching? What has worked for you? What has been hard? Do you find Blackboard useful? Do you use any other tools to connect with your students? Let the conversation begin!
I have enjoyed watching you find ways to work around the problems your school has faced. I also find it humorous that you were able to move more quickly into the online domain because you were not allowed to meet in school with your students.
I too started a youtube channel for the school this year. I have started a ning for our eighth grade to work together on. I have started a professional develpment ning for our teachers. Not only will the time you have apart from your students allow you the time to introduce these tools to them, but the time in school with the other teachers give you the opportunity (and time) to help them learn about these tools.
I await your thoughts on the successes and failures you experience through this process.
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I couldn’t do this now with my new class of 9 year olds, but I blogged about this in May:
http://learningismessy.com/blog/?p=662
We even talked about who could help each other out by giving classmates that live close by access to computers if you have one at home. Also Public library, etc. We could have done pretty well.
It is so interesting that the pandemic has forced many teachers to teach online for the first time. Like it or not, I suppose, “that” is the real world and without some “sticks” for motivation some teachers will do all they can to NOT change. Carrots are sometimes not enough. You’re really using a robust repertoire of tools and resources to facilitate learning and communication in your classroom. Perhaps this is a glimpse into the classroom of the future, today?
i love all your ideas and better yet – your actions. this is where ed needs to be. thank you swine flu?
our ning site has enabled us to carry on. but more than carry on – as you say – engage in even richer learning and collaborating.
http://talk-ed.ning.com/
looking forward to ongoing insight on making public ed real.
I applaud your determination and “just do it” approach and look forward to seeing how it all unfolds! I particularly like the title of the post. I completely agree – learning is learning and teaching is teaching, whether you do it online, offline or straddling both!
What I really like about your efforts here is your ability to create flexibility in time and place. By leveraging the web2.0 tools, you have been able to maintain high expectations while deregulating time and place. You have created an anytime, anywhere platform, but maintained integrity to your curriculum and expectations. Thank you for sharing. Your spirit and can-do attitude are infectious. I’ll look forward to hearing more.
In my mind, the most important aspect of what you are doing (and doing very well I might add!) is that feeling of building a community. Blackboard doesn’t do it; neither does MS SharePoint (what we are using at our school). And if it is not a community – if it is only a sterile facility to disseminate information rather than to facilitate communication – admin, teachers, parents and most importantly students will not buy in and participate with meaning or feeling.
As for your question “How do we get other teachers on board?”, nothing breeds success like success. Your successful and meaningful implementation can (and should!) serve as a starting point for what is possible in your school. Knowing what I know about you, you will bend over backwards to help and encourage any and all teachers who show interest.
I look forward to following your work with your classes and hope that we can find a way to let our classes collaborate in the future.
I will probably not win any popularity points for what I’m about to say…
I’m going to be a realist. Jabiz, here is a list of what you created/enabled with your students in the space of 3 days:
-started a class blog
-Facebook fan page (w/embedded feed)
-23 Google accounts
-Chatzy room
-YouTube channel
-survey (via Google Forms)
I can’t help but think that one of the reasons you were able to do this in such a time frame was because, well… due to H1N1 scares, you had a heap of non-contact time. That is, you had TIME to plan and create all of this.
The reality of most teachers — particularly those who are not in international schools — is that they may have 1 hour a day or less to plan for 5 classes, not to mention the assessment tasks (i.e., marking).
Over Twitter you said that this was easy for you because of experience. I’m pretty experienced, too, but I imagine that for me to create all of what you did (above) for an entire class would take me the better part of a day. That is simply time that most teachers do not have. Not to mention — you and I are both experienced teachers, been doing it for several years now. We have to think much less about lesson / unit unity, classroom management issues, etc. than new teachers. We’re probably also familiar with the literature / curriculum and don’t have to “teach ourselves” the content before figuring out how to facilitate that learning for our students. So much we take for granted, at times!
More and more I am realizing that the entire SYSTEM needs to change. Time is the biggest obstacle to implementing new ways of teaching and learning into schools. Interestingly, this week I have been reading some articles (well, LOTS of articles, but some in particular that are relevant 😉 ) about the history of technology in instructional design. It keeps coming up over and over again historically — a group of “evangelists” think that some new technology is going to completely revolutionize schools/education/learning. And you know what? In the last 100 years, it NEVER has. The main reason: TIME. Teachers do not have time. Oodles of research shows this, I am now aware of. The current system does not allow teachers time to learn, play, create, and design. It has to be completely re-vamped in order for that to happen, which of course means more $ given to human resources, because you can’t give teachers more time without… hiring more teachers and giving each teacher fewer students and less contact time.
So, while we may wish for schools to be operating the way you are with your students — which I doubt anyone would say is less than fantastic, and ideal — to simply ask, “How do we get teachers on board? How can we empower them?” makes me think our efforts are, at times, in the wrong places. It’s not just about making teachers more comfortable, though that is indeed a big part of it. There are bigger issues, I’m apt to believe. And I am also now realizing, having left the international teaching circuit, just how good people like you have it, in very well-resourced schools where often you are able to implement whatever you like, and with usually more planning time /day than teachers in public schools in N.America and elsewhere. If only all schools were more similar…! And of course, I am reminded of the reasons I left and went overseas in the first place…
i think the cool thing, adrienne, is that when you incorporate all those things: blogs, ning sites, chat rooms, plns, etc…. you are giving students space and time to own the learning. and by unleashing that power in them – teacher time becomes a fraction of what we have made it over the years.
it’s not about doing more. it’s about doing way less.
Monika,
While I completely agree, the issue I’m trying to make clear is that many teachers do not know how to incorporate all those things, and it takes *time* to learn them and incorporate them. It is not a snap of the fingers and lickety-split, it’s all done.
For us, who know what and how to do things, perhaps it is not about doing more. But for teachers who are not as experienced as us, learning how to use these things *is* more. And that’s something that many of those teachers simply don’t have time for.
My argument is not for argument’s sake. I fully agree with all that Jabiz is doing, and a few short months ago, I was doing the same thing. But since I’ve started looking at the research behind this, I’ve begun to realize that behind the curtain, there is a lot more to understand than simply the idealism we support. There are more issues underneath the surface, and these issues are really what are causing the lack of revolution in learning which we all crave. It is worth noting that the international schools’ community is in many ways a bubble that does not reflect the reality of public school teachers in developed countries.
i think – like you have mentioned – we need a complete overhaul in ed. we need to redefine teaching.
i don’t think it’s just idealism. i think it’s doable and possible. i think if teachers brave that first step (ie: joining a pln) – it can be like a snap of the fingers. because it’s not about doing more or learning more – it’s about getting it.
i love your thinking adrienne – (revolution in ed we all crave) – we should hook up.
share more ideas.
change the world – together.
Thanks everyone for your great comments. Rather than go through everyone’s comments point-by-point I have simply cut and paste several key sections from your comments and would like to talk on those:
The main point of this post and this project was, initially, to point out the flaws of working within a closed system like Blackboard. I was watching the frustration of good teachers, claiming that they disn’t know how to teach virtually, and what I thought was, “you are using a terrible tool to connect with students outside of school. That is the problem.”
I love what Clint said, “it is not a community – if it is only a sterile facility to disseminate information rather than to facilitate communication – admin, teachers, parents and most importantly students will not buy in and participate with meaning or feeling.”
I wanted to find a way to create, not further expand, the fragile community I had started with my students. I wanted to find ways that we could continue to communicate as naturally and as openly as possible- just like we were in class. I knew that posting. docs on some sterile page was not going to do what I wanted.
Now getting onto what Adrienne said about time. This actually did not take me that long to do. Sure the non-contact time helped, and yes the videos were not super quick, but because I am familiar with many tools I was going really quickly. My colleague who is not tech savvy, she says so herself, was a bit shocked at how fast I was doing everything. Using Skitch, iMovie, youtube, Facebook, Google, etc…
“How do you know how to do all of this? You must spend a lot of time on the computer?”
I thought a bit. Sure I spend a lot of time on the computer, probably more than the average person, but contrary to what people think about tech efficient people, I am not some geek always in front of my screen. I am an avid reader, I have a three-year old, with another on the way, I am a photographer etc…..What I am trying to say is that time is what we make of it.
I agree with Adrienne when she says, “The current system does not allow teachers time to learn, play, create, and design.”
So then how do some of us learn any way? Yes, being in an international school has it benefits, but I am still planning and creating a curriculum from scratch that covers three grades and three subjects. I am running an after school Global Issues club and working on a working party dealing with Assessment and recording. My point is that we are all, always busty and we will always be so. That is the nature of teaching, but some of us still have found or made time to learn new skills, because we can see that they will make our work easier.
Take this week for example all of the tie I have invested learning about online tools, actually made my life easier. I save countless time, because I could:
started a class blog
-Facebook fan page (w/embedded feed)
-23 Google accounts
-Chatzy room
-YouTube channel
-survey (via Google Forms)
in about 2 days.
You said, “many teachers do not know how to incorporate all those things, and it takes *time* to learn them and incorporate them. It is not a snap of the fingers and lickety-split, it’s all done.”
Absolutely not. It does take time, It has taken me about 5 years and I still have years to go, but I see this learning as an integral part of my professional development. Rather than waste time and money going to conferences, I am learning and teaching myself new skills all the time. I agree that not all teachers have the patience or energy to learn things on their own, but I feel a successful school must create that ethos!
Imagine entering a MS where every students, teacher, and administrator was expected to blog. A place where teachers were given time to learn, play, create, and design. It does not take much, but schools have to make a decision as to what their Professional Development looks like. You cannot tell your teachers to use technology, but not give them time and resources to really learn how. I don’t mean having one quick session on creating wikis, but rather using wikis as a way to collaborate school wide. These tools must be used on a daily basis by all stakeholder so they become easy to use. Once this atmosphere is create, it will take less time.
Finally I agree with Monkia, “it’s not about doing more or learning more – it’s about getting it.”
Once we have schools where teachers are not encouraged to use technology, but actually have to use it to function, we will have teachers who say they don’t have time to learn yet another thing. There will always be yet another thing. We must always be learning. We simply must get that!
Most teachers learned how to use a photocopier when it became necessary to do their job. They started using email when it became required to do their job. They started using a computer-based grading and/or marking system when it became required to do their job.
Maybe it will take a swine flu epidemic, or maybe we will get to one of those trendy ‘tipping points’ when enough keeners are using these tools that students start asking their non-keener teachers, “Why don’t we have a class blog?” or “Why can’t we do that as a Google Doc?”
Either way, we need to keep our eye on what’s important: not technology for its own sake, but technology that actually improves learning.
I don’t equate photocopiers and email to blogs and YouTube channels because the former are productivity tools and the latter are types of technology that can be used for learning, which have an effect on cognitive processes.
I don’t fully buy Jabiz’s argument: “Once we have schools where teachers are not encouraged to use technology, but actually have to use it to function, we will have teachers who say they don’t have time to learn yet another thing.”
The reason for my skepticism: You can have a school where that is possible. UNIS Hanoi is, in some ways like this. There are some things that are absolutely required, tech-wise, as part of the job — the school has made a commitment to technology, and it is non-negotiable. All teachers have to keep a wiki. All teachers have to set up OneNote notebooks for their classes. So what do you end up seeing, in many cases? Teachers using technology to do the same thing they have always been doing. The wiki becomes what the whiteboard used to be, and the OneNote notebooks are taking the place of binders.
The technology does not a good teacher make!
What we need is a new way of thinking, a new way of looking at teaching and learning, a whole new world of education. Teachers need time to get comfortable with this, and forcing them to use it is not going to make it happen. You said it when you said that a school needs to work this into its Professional Development plan. I would argue that any school making a commitment to tech integration needs to give its teachers at least 1 hour a week — hopefully more — that is purely “play time.” Where they should not be grading, planning units, etc, but dedicated time to simply play. You are right when you say a school must create that ethos.
So when will that happen, across the board? That’s what I’m getting at… sometimes I feel like I’m barking up the wrong tree. I really should be annoyed at administrators, tech directors, and the like — not my colleagues who are frustrated with Blackboard and who don’t know what a Google Form is. It’s not their fault… is it?
You are absolutely right when you say, “Teachers need time to get comfortable with this, and forcing them to use it is not going to make it happen.”
I think we are arguing the same thing. I am not saying that forcing teachers to use technology they don’t understand or need is useful. I am saying once teachers use tools that make sense to them on a personal level, they will begin to understand the power of tools to enhance their teaching.
I also agree when you say, “I really should be annoyed at administrators, tech directors, and the like — not my colleagues who are frustrated with Blackboard and who don’t know what a Google Form is. It’s not their fault… is it?”
It is not their faults. If a school is truly committed to becoming a 21st century school whatever that means these days, they need to move past buzzwords and fancy gadgets, and really look at how all stakeholders in the school will learn from a model that is based on sound pedagogy first, then look closely at how tools and technology will help them achiever their goals.
Only then can they “train” the teachers to become effective users of technology. Forcing teachers to use Blackboard will never accomplish this.
There does need to be an overall new direction, but we are already almost 10 years into this magical century. Weneed some working models and some schools must begin to take risks and put success and failures on the map so we can all learn from what they are doing. I think Chris Leemans school in PA is a great example and I think that Kim Cofino and Jeff Utech at ISB are doing some amazing work. I have always found Clarence Fisher’s work inspiring as well.
So you see, we are out here doing our thing, now hopefully administrators and schools will take notice.
I agree entirely, Adrienne. Reminds me of a passage in ‘Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’ where he arrives in Montana and explains what a ‘teaching college’ is: a place where you have to teach so many hours that you have no time to think. And I thought: sounds like a high school to me!
I’m afraid I’m pretty pessimistic about anything changing fundamentally on this front. New technology, as you say, won’t transform teaching—it’s just pouring old wine (or vinegar!) into new bottles. And to change the culture and economics of schooling? —three lifetimes might not be enough.
It seems there is a 2 ton elephant in this conversation everyone is skirting around. We don’t hold teachers accountable for their poor teaching methods.
Yes, using technology does not a good teacher make. Tech is a tool that is not even necessary for good teaching. (With that being said, our students need to become more tech literate.) What technology has done for me is allowed me to connect with wonderful, thoughtful, professional educators that reflect critically on all aspects of teaching. This has allowed me to grow professionally more in the last few years than the first twelve. This required effort on my part, which seems to be where many teachers fail.
I am very tired of these arguments. We can no longer hold others responsible. We need to be the change agent in our community. If you think your colleagues need to learn to teach better, teach them. If you don’t want to step out and do that, quit whining about how nothing is changing!
There are schools where professionalism is expected and the art and science of teaching are studied as if they are imperative. We see these schools and wish we could be part of them. The dirty little secret is we can be part of that type of school, but we have to make it happen ourselves.
@Wmchamberlain – I don’t know how long you’ve been teaching (I couldn’t find a bio on your website), but I’ve been doing it for 11 years and have seen very little change. It’s the reason why I chose to return to grad school full-time: I want to affect change on a wider scale. I have done what you purport to be “the answer” and have still seen relatively little change in schools, and I’ve been teaching in lovely international schools for most of those 11 years, so I was in fairly progressive, supportive environments compared to most public schools in the USA.
Unlike you, however, I do think that at some point we must hold others responsible. I can be the most adamant, fervent supporter of change — I can walk the talk and DO all these things, but somewhere, somehow, something’s gotta give. To put it simply, I cannot change the world of education — or even just the culture at my local school — all by myself. And I’m tired of being in that 10% of teachers who are trying to make it happen. I no longer want to be just one of those 10%. I want to work in an environment where everyone is 100% on board. Not only do I feel like I’m banging my head against a wall, but it does very little for my morale and my *own* motivation. I can use my PLN as my community of support, but that does not change the state of education in the wider world.
As I stated in an earlier comment, since beginning grad school I’ve begun uncovering research which not only suggests, but spells it out, about the history of technology in education: The reason why education has not been revolutionized is because most teachers do not have time to give it the attention it deserves; thus teaching methodologies have not changed much. This is cited in study after study after study — since 1910.
You are right — we should hold teachers accountable for poor teaching methods. Don’t even get me started on that, as I am not generally a union supporter and I am a big fan of stringent hiring practices; I’m also highly critical of teachers’ colleges. But when you say that you are getting at exactly my point: it needs to come from the top. Our administrators and other managers need to re-structure and re-think the system so that the emphasis is on those human resources. The change cannot come from the bottom up because of the limited amount of control that is inherent there.
I think I am like you in the sense that my own professional development and growth has occurred in the last few years because of technology, and yes — there was effort required on my part. So how do you propose to motivate those teachers who are lost and confused, intimidated, or maybe even burnt out — but who are GOOD teachers in essence? What solution would you propose? Simply saying “Get on with it” does not, to my mind, sound like a supportive way to encourage their learning.
Sorry I wasn’t clear, what I meant by not holding others accountable is simply quit blaming others for what teachers need to be doing. I realize we have no more control over our colleagues than we do of parents, administration, or even the weather.
We work in an environment where it is not perceived to be a good idea to call out other teachers for their poor teaching (or more importantly, their poor professionalism.) I do not know of any other way to make a change in my building.
Let me explain, I do not want to move to a school where the teachers are taking responsibility and doing their job right. I want that to happen here. I was born and raised in the town I teach at. I would not abandon them to make my professional life easier or to keep me motivated. There are thousands of us that stand in the gate fighting to make our local schools better.
I agree that much more needs to be done. I also agree that our ability to change our situations is limited. I will keep fighting the good fight here where it needs to be fought.
So in fighting the good fight, where you are, what does that mean? Do you call out your colleagues for their poor professionalism? Or do you work with Admin to change hiring practices, professional development requirements, and teacher contracts? Or do you perhaps even seek an Admin position yourself, to instigate these changes?
What I’m getting at is that it’s not enough to just do what we are doing — which is being advocates of change ourselves, in and of what we do in our classrooms with technology. We can, and will, continue to do that for decades, but nothing will change on a wide scale. Some of the responsibility must be placed on those in charge at Admin levels.
If you feel like you are getting somewhere in your own environment, then that is great and perhaps you teach in a school that is more open-minded than most. I think it’s great that you support your local school, and if you’ve been there for so long then you must have a network of people to call upon for support. I don’t have a similar background, so I really cannot relate to that scenario at all, I’m sorry. I’ve just seen plenty of schools around the world that are doing the same thing they were 50 years ago, albeit now with Powerpoint and projectors instead of chalkboards and chalk.
I am a bit proponent of leading by example. maybe it is not our place to call out poor teaching, but I think it does behoove a school community to have leaders, innovators, and people who will share their successes.
That was part of the purpose of writing this post. As a way to remind teachers that there are options out there beyond Blackboard. You simply have to have the need to learn and experiment.
i love this dialogue – because i think we all really want change and not just flap about it.
i think the reason these times are different – is because the technology is allowing what we’ve had possible access to in the past – but at mach speed – so extreme efficiency and individuality is at our fingertips.
1 – access to the knowledge piece – changes our content. or minimizes our content. specific info accumulation is no longer the goal. the goal is now realizing – that whatever i want to learn – i know how to do that. how to access it (in mach speed) and organize it (because there’s mega much more coming to me) and share it out (because now when i share out – it’s not to one teacher or a room of 30 – it’s to the world.)
2 – collaboration has changed completely. as a student – (and this is what’s missing – …as a teacher modeling it) i’m no longer restricted in my group/pln selection. i get to pick my group per passion from people all over the world. and keep that group for longer than 6 weeks. that changes things drastically. that ups motivation and production and efficiency, etc …..a ton.
individualized learning – student-centered learning is finally doable. we now have the means to offer something other than a one-size-fits-all public ed.
kids that are being allowed this – are on a high.
in public ed – the key has never been to do more for the kids. once motivated and engaged – they will be doing the more. because they crave it.
WOW, there are quite a few ideas generated from this post. Must have stimulated some thought. I want to add a few ideas.
It certainly is interesting that this all came about due to a “disruption” to the normal school day. Sometimes it takes these types of emergencies to help move change forward. I heard from a friend of mine at the American School of Bombay that she was able to seamlessly facilitate her classes when they were shut down for a week. Now, very few places can actually say that. They are leaders in the 1:1 laptop arena. But, it does provide the rest of us with hope for the future.
This summer I read Disrupting Class and I have started thinking seriously about the “disruption” that they predict. http://tiny.cc/LdOtc I never would have predicted that software would guide learning in the future. If you look at the landscape of online learning here in the US it is growing exponentially. It seems like more and more graduate courses are at least a mix of online and face to face. All university jobs that I apply for are looking for professors to teach online. There are so many online schools opening up to serve home schoolers, kids who have a special need and others.
Hopefully what you are having to do now will continue to be a trend in schools.
What is happening here is what always happens when we talk about technology and education, every blog post, conference discussion, or casual chat always ends up asking the big question:
How can we get more teachers on board when it comes to using technology in their everyday lives as teachers? Honestly, after five years I am no more closer than I was when I started this journey.
I can only speak for myself: I use technology in the classroom because I use technology in my everyday life. I use it to communicate with people. I use it to connect with people. I use it to learn from people, and I use it to teach people. I use it to express myself. I use it! Simple as that. So I use it in my classroom, because it feels comfortable, natural, and vital.
I am sure we will be here discussing these ideas, for years to come, wondering how to get more teachers on board, but I am not sure we will have answers until the use of the tools becomes ubiquitous in how we interact online.
Just as we inspire students, we can inspire colleagues.
Choose the right software, make it accessible and easy to use, and lead by example. Admin of course has a role in facilitating all of this.
“Inch by inch, row by row, gonna make my garden grow . . . . ” Rome wasn’t built in a day, I’ve heard.
“We want the world and we want it now!” Jim Morrison
But I guess we just need to hammer it out slowly. Thanks for your contributions to this discussion.
The problem is I’m not so patient any more. 11 years in and having not seen much change… not sure how much longer I can do it for, honestly. I mean, i do what I do because I believe it it, obviously — and very strongly at that. But The System is so painfully, ridiculously slow to change that I am losing my patience. Especially when you compare education to other sectors — why is there so much reluctance, so much living in the past? I’m apt to believe, sadly, that it all comes down to money. There is no money in education, and until there is, we will be dealing with the status quo.
Sorry for all the negativity — I realize we are all proponents of the same cause — change — but I seem to be much less patient than the rest of you. I have to admit feeling particularly discouraged after having read so much research indicating the reasons that change isn’t happening, and the plight of teachers like us since the beginning of the last century. I feel their pain and am dumbfounded that we still fight the same battles 100 years later. I very much feel like I’m up against brick walls…. and then I wonder, “What’s the point? Is it all for naught?”
Adrienne, I’ve been teaching since 1980. Does that make you feel any better? Didn’t think so.
You know all of this, but:
They condemned Socrates to die by poison.
They murdered Martin Luther King, Jr.
Were the good people of the late Roman Empire able to turn things around? No.
As Candide finally realized, we must cultivate our garden; it’s all we can do. Don’t give up; but don’t burn out, either.
In the long run, things seem to slowly get better. Watch some Hans Rosling videos. Breathe. Then go back at it. We need you.
i hear you…
my impatience has been distracted by me jumping in and making radical changes happen in my small circle of influence.
the radical things we are doing – we are building and sharing….with hopes that because of the networking capabilities today – it will spread at mach speed in the near future.
like jabiz said – teachers embracing it and living it – is the best way for it to be real to the kids. once it’s real to the kids – and they get it…they will spread it.
kids know how to make things happen.
unlike a lot of us.
@Eric
Yeah see, the thing is — I don’t want to be a martyr. I am extremely uncomfortable with being a martyr for education.
@Monika
I understand. I know. I’m just tired of waiting. And tired of only seeing change within that small circle of influence you mention.
It’s not that I’m feeling burnt out. I’m just wondering if I’ve (we’ve) been going about it all the wrong way. If 100 years don’t show any change, doesn’t that indicate that we’re doing something wrong?
LOL! —I wasn’t suggesting martyrdom! ;^ )
Actually, 100 years isn’t a lot. We are in the early stages of a major paradigm shift. In the old paradigm, education’s purpose was to produce [male] lawyers, doctors, theologians, and high-ranking civil servants. The whole idea of school was to eliminate people, to weed out those who couldn’t perform the assigned tasks and tolerate the pressure and B.S. Those who succeeded were well qualified to become doctors, lawyers, theologians, and civil servants.
At the moment we have a series of incoherent and contradictory ideas about the purpose of schooling, but in general we have this democratic idea that education is for everybody, that the goal is to help everyone to succeed, not to make the process so narrow and onerous that only a few can succeed. We don’t really know, yet, what a ‘democratic education’ is, and all our institutions are based on the old paradigm. Universities, it appears to me, are even more stuck in the old paradigm than primary and secondary schools.
We have one foot in the old world, and one foot in the new. Teachers tend to teach the way they were taught, just as parents tend to parent the way they were parented. This will take time.
I go away for a few days and it takes me hours to catch up on all the comments!
There are too many specific individuals to refer to, so let me just say it:
Education is suffering from inertia. It is such a huge monolithic insitution that it is difficult to change it’s course – a bit like a the Titanic. The view of Education is so homogenous that it is difficult for most to envision what education can (and should?) be. Parents’ only point of reference are their own experiences. The majority of teachers and administrators teach as they were taught (both in school and in teacher training programs). Students, who have the least amount of experience in Education and are thus the least affected by its intertial ways, are quickly institutionalized as to what school is and what it isn’t.
I empathize and agree with Adrienne’s and wmchamberlain’s and others’ frustration at change not coming fast enough, if at all. What are our options? Personally, I think it is important for us, in our relatively small bubble, to continue to implement, share and honestly critique one another’s work. This blog post and a subsequent comment string is a good example of that. It’s not all kudos and platitudes. It is solid, healthy discussion with a common goal in mind.
That, of course, is not enough. To truly affect change in Education (in order to give meaningful educations to all), we need to put ourselves in positions of responsibility and authority. That means Administration or academia.
Wait, so if I’m already in academia, that leaves… *gasp!*
Of course the irony is that when I first began teaching, I did not ever EVER think about the possibility of grad school. Yet here I am. And the words, “I will never be an administrator” have oft left my lips…
Hi Clint,
Having dipped my toes into the Admin pool (9 years!) and lived to tell the tale, let me offer some advice.
Admin is not an educational job. It’s a management job. It’s a political job. Very, very little of your time can be spent on reforming education, believe me. If you have excellent people skills and you are interested in politics and management, go for it. Otherwise, stay in the classroom.
Personally I have never been happier than when I returned to full-time teaching.
Eric
I wanna be the kind of administrator that’s in charge of all schools in the world. Is that possible? 😉 Then I could really make the changes I want to see!
Eric, thanks for the words of wisdom. I often hear ‘reformed’ administrators saying similar things!
I will take your word that it is managerial and political in nature. But to some extent, isn’t that what is required to exact reform on a large scale? Somebody who is well-versed in progressive educational pedagogy, who can motivate, lead and inspire those in their charge, who can sell their vision of education to the entire school community?
Hi Clint,
Yes, that’s what it takes. But most administrators are teachers who want to make a difference. The skills that made them good teachers are almost irrelevant to their success or failure in admin, and most do not have the political/managerial/people skills (and interests) that would make them good administrators. Me included! Such folks can do more good in the classroom.
You all may be interested in this post by George Siemens on radical education reform. Higher ed, but still thought-provoking for us K-12 peons:
http://www.connectivism.ca/?p=166#comments
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I guess I should begin by saying that I am a student of Dr. Strange’s EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. I hope to teach either the fourth or fifth grade. I spend about ten hours each week in two different schools; one is a low income minority school in one of the most dangerous cities in the US and the other is a middle class white school where I go to church with half of the students I help teach. I have learned from both classrooms things about myself and the world around me that I would have never thought possible.
I am sharing this with y’all because I want to keep encouraging y’all to be the great teachers that you are! I am a student still and the students that I work with feel the ripple of your influence every time I enter the classroom, and even more– after I leave. Before EDM310, I thought I would be good at being a teacher, but didn’t know if it was truly my calling because I wanted something bigger. I wanted to change lives all over the world on a scale much bigger than the average 25 kids a year.
You have shown me that wide scale change is possible. People’s perspectives can be altered in a way that shows the world that Americans are not lazy, Middle Easterners are not radical murderers, New Zealanders don’t walk around with snorkels in their back pockets, and Missouri does have something to show for themselves. More importantly, teachers like yourselves have taught me that “I” am not the one who is responsible for change– the kids that I teach are and will be. They are the ones who’s learning will be available for the world to see so that people from around the globe can be inspired and recognize that people are not so different after all… We are all just trying to make this world a better place to live in.
Adrienne, I admire you for your comments. They have shown me another perspective to this story that I have just begun to read. I believe teaching is a profession based on hope. Every aspect of education, albeit teachers, administrators, counselors, etc. should work hard each day because they hope that their actions will bring about positive results in the lives of their students and ultimately their communities.
Furthermore, Adrienne, I am sure that if you have done everything that you have shared with us in this string of comments, then you have most certainly impacted your students lives in immeasurable ways. Unfortunately, after reading Teach Like Your Hair’s On Fire, I have learned that not receiving immediate gratification that can be represented by statistics and not being recognized with awards and pay bumps is not one of the many benefits of being a teacher.
I am eager to learn more about each of you. I hope to find ways to become part of your PLNs so that my students will reap at least some of fruit you have sewn. Thank you.
@Anthony – you are right when you say that teaching is a profession based on hope. However, I think it should be one based on action. Of course I do hope that I have impacted my students in some way — in a few cases I even have tangible evidence of this — but that is not enough for me. I’m not in education for the recognition. While it’s nice to be acknowledged and it’s rewarding to know that your contributions to the world are actually meaningful to someone, what I’m really after is being part of change that will manifest itself in a huge, revolutionary overhaul of education. A lofty goal, yes, but I have never been one to sit on the sidelines…
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I enjoyed reading your blog post. I am in a EDM310 class that teaches future teacher’s how to use different tools in the classroom. Thanks for input!
As they say, if there’s a will, there’s a way. I am really at awe with the courage to start a virtual class since if it were me I would have said “but it will..” or “i can’t because..”. You definitely proved me wrong. Teachers are the change agent and in this digital world you started to create a pathway for other teacher to follow. Congratulations.