Teaching = Dis-Covered Knowledge

Humor me for a moment. Think back to your childhood. Let's say that in a time of great innocence, you spilled or dropped something on the floor. Now, that could have been carpeting, tile, or a wood floor. It matters not what spilled or what you spilled it on, just the fact that you spilled or dropped something. The resulting mess would no doubt get you in a ton of trouble with mom/dad/grandma/grandpa/aunt/uncle, etc.... whoever... Now you faced a moral dilemma.. what to do?

You could:
1) Don't face the problem. Don't address it. Run away and hide from it...
2) Quickly grab a rug, book, chair, or something else big enough and cover it up. If they can't see it, it is no longer a problem.
3) Take responsibility for the mess, learn how to eat food without spilling it.. all part of growing up.

OK.. enough with the fond memories...
The technology available to us as people is unbelievably immense and is changing every second. I just saw that Microsoft is developing something that enables you to use your palm or arm as a touch screen to dial a number or text... is this unbelievable??? Yes... it sure is. Technology doesn't slow down for anyone. It is up to you whether you choose to (or are able to) keep up.

One resource that I have really embraced and used as a resource for learning is Youtube (which has been bought by Google btw). I upload our class's music videos to it. I favorite videos that I then use in my instruction. I can search on a moment's notice in attempt to find content that I can use.

At this year's ASSET conference, I presented Youtube as one of the resources that educators can embrace. The participants at the workshop were excited to start working with it. I spoke about how my co-teacher and I were teaching a lesson on nutrition, and a student asked what the difference was between the various types of milks.... a search and I found this:



The discussion then went to how we make sure that milk is free from bacteria. Enter a video on Pasteurization:



In last week's blog assignment, my students were asked to identify which character or characters they most connected with, and them list character traits that support their choice(s). I found a great video by the Author of this book discussing challenges and triumphs of writing. I put it on the blog for the class to see.



In science, our class is creating Public Service Announcements for other kids about electrical safety. The project is anchored in our unit of electricity. Students are using our collaborative wikispace as a place to store the information and facts that they have gathered through their research. I won't list them here, but I have sample PSAs that my students refer back to as they create their own. Here is a PSA on nutrition by our very dear friend "Cookie Monster".



Before we even started using the wiki, I used this excellent video by Common Craft to reinforce the concept of a wiki after I introduced it:



Look.. I could go on and on about how I have been finding value in it.. but we all know that technology is a two sided sword. As Peter Parker's Uncle Ben said: "With great power comes great responsibility!" There is a ton of valuable 'stuff' on youtube, but there is also a lot of junk. Youtube is a stage where the whole world can be an actor on. 10 or 20 years ago it would have taken A BUNCH of money and connections for your video to be seen around the world. Not all of us are named Spielberg, Lucas, or Coppola, but nearly anyone can record a quick video (flip camera, digital camcorder or even a cheap web cam if your laptop doesn't have one) and upload it for the planet to see.

What do we do? We monitor our kids while they are in the lab or the classroom. We embed videos on our blogs and wikis so that they don't have to be in the "Youtube" site and see things like comments and related videos. We screen videos BEFORE we use them to ensure that they are appropriate for our classroom. We try our best to teach them how to use technology responsibly and to respect each other's views and opinions.

So what can you do about this resources, its values, and its dangers?

Well.. remember that spill?

You could:
1) Don't face the problem. Don't address it. Run away and hide from it...
2) Quickly get an Internet filtering program big enough and cover it up. If they can't see it, it is no longer a problem.
3) Take responsibility for the mess, learn how to use online video correctly and show our students how to do the same.. all part of growing up.

Now where did I put that Bounty roll? Comments welcome.

Digital Accountability and Our Own Stupidity

See if you can visualize this exchange:

Friend 1: "Hey (name), do you remember that crazy thing you did in (insert college, high school, middle school, or even elementary school)??"
Friend 2: "Yeah.. that was crazy.. and stupid.. I can't believe I actually did that!"

We have all been there in some capacity. Whether it was a boy running through the girls' locker room in his underwear or doing a silly dance at a classmate's party, random acts of stupidity surrounded by immaturity and the lack of accountability have plagued us all, even the best of the best.

Today's 'youth' (am I really saying that word??? I am not really old yet!) are sharing many of the same experiences with some slightly different attributes. In the end, stupidity and naivety run rampant. The difference is digital accountability.

At a recent faculty meeting, a member of our staff expressed their displeasure of the connections that the Internet provides. I must respectfully disagree. Should we have told this person that as a child they should not have been permitted to use the telephone? Of course not. Connections are what help us to grow intellectually and socially. Connections are what makes literature come alive while we explore it. Connections help us to reach outside of ourselves to experience all there is to offer.

Unfortunately, this includes both good and bad. I am amazed at how many of my 4th and 5th graders are using social networking sites such as Facebook. I will not look down upon them, as I use FB myself. It is not the tool, but proper use that concerns me. There are even interest groups for students from my school. This would surely shock many of my collegues. A few of my students have You Tube accounts as well. While one of my kids makes informative videos about his interests, the other seems to be posting flamatory (downright inappropriate) comments on other people's videos. I was very disappointed, as I view You Tube as a great resource for learning. I am not only worried about this student potentially harassing another student, but also the unstable older student or adult that might pay him a visit to harm him because of his words if he is 'dumb' (for lack of a better word) enough to give out some personal information.

These students need to know that they are accountable for their letters and words on the Internet just as much as if they had written if in their notebook or said it in person. Digital audio and video are accessible in the palm of our hands. So many students have cell phones or Flip style cameras. How will these actions affect their future? Acceptance into a college? Future job prospects? Who knows...

Remember that exchange in the beginning of this article? Try another one in a few years...

Friend 1: "Hey , do you remember that crazy thing you did in ??"
Friend 2: "Yeah.. that was crazy.. and stupid.. I can't believe I actually did that!"
Friend 1: "Me either. Let me pull it up for you to see!"
Friend 2: "Oh c'mon.. not again...."

When Social Networking Becomes Social Studies...

In a moment of pure insanity, I decided to tackle a new project with my students this year. I found in "Instructor" magazine the idea of starting a social network for students using people that would be studied in history. How cool would it be to have Thomas Jefferson "befriend" John Hancock, post pictures of himself and some biographical info, just like Myspace and Facebook? So, with the idea, some motivation and a whole lot of optimism, I decided to embark on "MyHistorySpace".

My class studies the Golden Age of Exploration and the people that saught fame and fortune to find the new world. People like Christopher Columbus, Ponce DeLeon, and Ferdinand Magellan might have a lot to say if given the opportunity to be part of a social network.

My library media specialist provided the students with a myriad of web sites that they could start out with. We spoke about the suffixes at the end of web sites and what they mean (.com, .net, .gov, .edu, etc.). We spoke about how those suffixes have an impact on whether or not you should 'trust' the information that you find. It went very well, and we knew that we were ready to move on.

I started with our class wiki. It became a data warehouse or a knowledge base of sorts. Using questions that asked for various biographical information, students scoured the web. They saved images that they found on a network drive. Things were moving along, but what next?

I had played with animated avatars at www.gizmoz.com before. They were quick and relatively easy... so I had my kids write "status quote" type sentences with authentic information about their explorer. They then animated a head shot picture and recorded their voices saying their quote. Of course, I had them speak (or attempt to speak) in the accent of the country that the explorer was born in.

After searching and researching, I decided to use a ning. That's where we are now. Today I formally introduced "Social Networking", the Ning and how to use it. Today, they embedded their avatars, uploaded profile pictures (of their explorer, not themselves), and they have started to write their blog entries. This class is amazing. They take it and run, and their 'tech-savviness' is wonderful. They have managed to become bloggers, wiki collaborators, multimedia producers, social networker and digital researchers. I am so proud of them! Pity the school year is coming to a close very soon.

Is this the end of the traditional biography report? I doubt it, but perhaps it is "natural progression." I'll let you know how the rest of the project goes! Feel free to check us out at http://myhistoryspace.ning.com

Earning Your Digital Citizenship

I remember getting into fights on the playground as a kid. I remember my parents sitting me down and explaining how what I did was wrong, and then they told of stories from their youth when they had experienced the same types of situations. These discussions could be used for many challenges that have faced children of many generations. I bet even the kids of colonial America were caught cheating on tests or hiding their report cards.

The challenges that face students of today are similar in concept but radically different in the manner and form in which they manifest themselves.

The video by Dan Topscott "Grown Up Digital - The Net Generation is Changing YOUR World" is very interesting and worth the minute forty eight. He begins by essentially berating the digital generation. He tells them that they are lazy, lack motivation or interest in the world around them, that their only concern is of themselves, they spend too much time in front of their technologies, yadda yadda yadda. Once the viewer is fully irritated by his words, he breaks the news that all he has said is, in reality, unsubstantiated. He also says that this new generation is the smartest generation and possesses the capability for real change.

In Passport to Digital Citizenship, Mike Ribbie takes this and runs with it. He speaks of nine elements of digital citizenship that are aligned with the new NETS student standards. While I do believe them to hold a good deal of merit, the question on my mind is "On whom should this responsibility lie?" Should this duty be placed in the hands of parents, educators or both? Is the digital realm solely the domain of technology educators or should technology as an extension to learning be part of every subject area's curriculum? In this crazy world that we live in, who has the time to invest in this most important part of socio-digital development? Perhaps we should ask "Who has more time (but surely not enough?)

Remember the bully on the playground when you were a kid? What about when you were cyber bullied as a kid? Remember when someone stole your identity? Oh my gosh.. remember the time that you accidently commited to buying something on the Internet without permission? What about the time you installed a virus on your mom's computer by clicking on the link in the browser? Chances are, aside from the first example, you didn't have any of those experiences as a child. How do you prevent your children from making those mistakes when you don't have your own life experiences to draw from? As cyber bullying becomes more and more prominent, bully prevention programs (as antiquated as they usually are) are being forced to come into the 21st century and address this. I had this happen in my classroom about 3 years ago, so I began an "Ethics of Technology" program with my students. If you type the word "dog" into the search field of a search engine such our beloved Google, you will be face to face with nearly 100 million results (as of this writing). How can you distinguish "good" sites from "bad" sites? This has less to do with any kind of digital divide and more to do with being an informed and intuitive web surfer and person.

I have long been opposed to 'filters' or 'blocking software' or whatever soft and fuzzy name makes you feel like you are helping kids (NetNanny comes to mind.. what the heck kind of fuzzy name is that?). It's like teaching someone to drive a car in a parking lot, giving them their license and then giving them directions to get home on the Long Island Expressway. Filters are nothing more than putting bumpers up in a bowling alley, but they don't teach the student how to filter and censor for themselves. When they get home, odds are they won't have those filters. If they do, they won't be up for very long. We need informed Internet participants, as Web 2.0 has now transformed the Internet and its power. Once again... who is to teach it?

Who am I? I am Adam Dugger, and I am probably not what Marc Prensky would call a "Digital Native". To Mr. Prensky I most respectfully say that I disagree. While I did not have an Ipod or the Internet as part of my childhood (I remember the Internet coming about when I was finishing college!), I was a digitally immersed. Dare I say a "digital pioneer?" You see, I had a Commodore 64 in my bedroom. I did my programming in BASIC computer language, and I made my own games. I used my external modem to dial up into CompuServe and surfed text based "sites" if you can call them that. I did my word processing on a dot matrix printer that made so much noise I couldn't use it too late because it would wake my family up. I had cassettes and CDs. Although we couldn't burn CDs we did "dub" cassettes. Same thing? Nobody said that was wrong, but I suppose we had to buy the first copy...

I am able to navigate technology with relative ease. I would much rather 'play' with something and figure it out than be told how to do so. I like trying to make things better by "tinkering" and these are all extensions and evolutions of what I did as a child whether with Legos, bicycles, cars or computers. Having said that, rights and wrongs must be taught, learned and to some degree experienced.

I think that the ethics of technology should begin in the home. Parents must accept technology and the collaborative nature of the Internet as "here to stay" and treat it that way. Lack of information breeds fear and distrust. Just look at how "Internet security" is viewed on news shows. Tell someone that you are on a social networking site like MySpace or Facebook and immediately the glares come out. My own mother tells me that Facebook is bad news, and nothing I can do to explain to her the positive of social networking will help sway her.

Parents alone cannot handle the burden alone. We infuse technology into our lessons and explorations all of the time. We ask our students to grab hold of this resource and use it as a tool for their learning and expression. How can we as educators ignore the "right and wrong" part of that?

Morality has always been subjective, and it comes from your experiences as a child. Right and wrong are clearly defined with a wonderful little area in the middle we lovingly call "gray". If we are to share this digital environment, not as digital immigrants or digital natives, but as digital citizens, we must coexist with respect and keep the cyber landscape lush and green. The "not so good areas" must be allowed to stay, but students should be educated citizens that can quanitatively and qualititively make informed decision based on what they have learned.

The question is "from who?" I wish I had an answer... but this brings up even more questions for me.

The Internet as a Pied Piper

The Internet is, at its very core, is a network. Social networking, blogging, link exchanges, etc. are such natural progressions of this technological necessity that it truly isn't even funny. My main hobby is cars, and I have been part of a few forums dedicated to a specific car for a long time - some as long as nearly 13 years. The exhange of information and learning from the experiences of others has made it possible for people to tackle projects that they might not have attempted before.

Fast forward to 2009. In a moment of absolute insanity and crazy "what the hell", I purchased a motorcycle that needed some work. When I bought it, I knew that it was a popular model, but I had no idea that the passion behind the owners of this model might rival that of my beloved Mustang.

Having served as a warehouse of information (so to speak) for the Mustang community for so long, I had somewhat forgot what it was like to post 'newbie' questions and ask others to share their experiences. Since I have a solid foundation experience for mechanical projects (My Stang has been apart and back together quite a few times for quite a few incarnations of its life), I felt confident that I could jump into the motorcycle arena with just a bit of guidance. Just about 2 months later, the bike is looking better than ever and almost ready to hit the road (some parts haven't arrived yet).

I did the same when I gutted and rebuilt my daughter's room in our house, but I didn't find message forums resources as plentiful as the fossil fuel burners. I had to look through DIY sites loaded with advertisements and Youtube provided a good amount of online video instructions (but be careful what you follow and believe). Good old books (I have some of those fossils in the basement.. hehe) are also great sources!

The piece that was lacking was the interaction of people to people. You hear so much from "those people" that our students and we lack the person to person interaction that the Internet takes away. I think that it is easy to make the arguement that the interaction is surely there, although it has manifested itself in a different form but it has evolved to another level. Just because I am not staring face to face with someone doesn't mean we aren't communicating.

If that is your absolute quantifier, then I suggest getting a web cam and a clue. The "Great Communicator" is us. The tool is the Internet, and I can only imagine how communication will evolve next. Let's hope that we will be literate enough and open-minded enough to speak its lingo.

Web 2.0: Buzzword or Transformative Tool?

In preparation for an online conversation with one of my professors, I was asked to read an article called Why Web 2.0 is Good for Learning and for Research: Principles and Prototypes. In this article, web2.0 tools are presenting as using information in a different way. The author goes on to tell us that web2.0 is in danger of becoming a buzzword much like "e-learning" once took over the pedagogical lingo scene.

I was then asked to come up with four attributes to used as criteria by which technology resources should be evaluated to see whether or not they are truly web 2.0 tools. In no particular order, here they are!

Creativity - Does this application or tool allow and foster creativity in students?

Digital Presence and Expression - Does this application or tool create or help create a digital identity for the user in a safe and secure manner?

Community - Does this application or tool encourage its users to become part of a larger community of learners and creators?

Technology - This is probably the most obvious defining attribute. A Web 2.0 tool should be anchored in technology, and use that as its arena of existence.

So having said that.. let's take a look at a few web sites to see how they do with the aforementioned judging criteria...

Classblogmeister.com - This site offers educators a place to begin a class blog.

Creativity: Yes
Users can browse through menus and options to customize blog pages at both teacher and student levels. Creativity is encouraged, and there is even an option to design one's own template instead of choosing from premade ones.

Digital Presence and Expression: Yes
Students can upload pictures (either of themselves, user selected pictures and/or avatars) to make themselves known. Students can also title their blog and each entry they create. Although students have the ability to write nearly whatever they wish, teachers can (and should in my opinion) make it so that they have final approval on all.

Community: Yes and No
This is a place where Classblogmeister excels. David Warlick, the creator and blogger in charge guru behind CBM even has a feature called "The Collaborator" through which classes can find each other based on user selected and submitted criteria. Outside of the site itself, there is a ning and an online Yahoogroup that are just as valuable for teachers to find other teachers to collaborate with. For students, the ability to find others is not as robust, but perhaps that is with good reason. If a teacher decides to post a few links to other classrooms on his or her blog site, then students can really take advantage of the global community of the educational blogosphere.

Technology: Yes!
Classblogmeister is a web site on the Internet. You can use images in your articles (although they must be hosted elsewhere.. David W. can we upload please???), you can embed flash video and animation, and audio.

Notes: I am a big fan of this site, and I am happily in my second blogging class. David Warlick provides this site for free and without any advertisements.

Voki
Voki is an avatar creator that offers its users a very dynamic, almost fun interface that allows one to create a digital representation of one's self.

Creativity: Yes!
I have to admit that the possibilities are almost endless. One can choose from a myriad of physical characteristics, and a color palette with which you can grab your own. Backgrounds can be selected or uploaded. The voice can be chosen from a list of genders, accents and then a few within those parameters. In the preliminary research that I have done, it seems that 60 seconds is the time limit for uploading voice, but that is surely enough time to get any message across.

Digital Presence and Expression: Yes!
This is where Voki truly hits the mark. Users can choose from a ton of accessories and physical characteristics to make nearly any type of identity desired. I like the fact that you can choose to use the text to speech feature for those that might not want to upload their own voice. This could be useful for younger students or those students with speech and language challenges.

Community: No
This seems to be an area that is lacking. Voki seems like much more of a 'me' application than an 'us'. There is a news feature on the main page (at first difficult to find if you don't know how to get back there) that has some articles and news feeds written by others, but for the most part, you are on your own.

Technology: Yes
Clearly this web based JavaScript site uses technology in an innovative way. It is engaging, exciting and inviting. Voki is also adding new features on a continuous basis.

Notes: Overall I like Voki, but to me it is more flash and polish than substance. It could be the icing on the cake for your students' projects or a fun way to grab their attention, but as a standalone it isn't the "cat's cyber-meow". Having said that, I do like how registration with an email is NOT required. That is a big draw for teachers. However, registering one account can allow the teacher to keep editable copies of each student or teacher Voki. I am not sure if there is a limit to how many avatars one can have (there was no mention on the site). Another "turn-off" is that the free versions will have advertising on them. Feel free to check out the Voki I made on the right. That is a preloaded voice named Mike from the US.

del.icio.us
Delicious is a social bookmarking website that is used for storing and sharing one's personal and professional website bookmarks.

Creativity: No
Delicious does give each user their own page, but it isn't specific to each person in look and feel. It is totally template driven and standardized and although I suppose one could differentiate by tags and the resulting folders, there isn't much room for personalization.

Digital Presence and Expression: Yes
Through Delicious, you can have your own place on the World Wide Web. While there isn't a pretty digital presence like those of an avatar, one can show or identify those web sites that can be useful. Tagging allows easy differentiation or reasons why such a site was chosen.

Community: Yes
You can keep links to your favorite sites, share them with others, take the recommendations of others or follow the taggings of others that you choose.

Technology: Yes!
The Internet is the playground for Delicious, so being connected is essential. Without the web, Delicious is just a flat document.

Note: At first I was weary of trying Delicious. I had my bookmarks or favorites or whatever you want to call them safely nestled within the confines of my own PC. After a few weeks of using this, I was converted. It is a powerful tool for not only keeping those bookmarks at your fingers whenever you want or wherever you are, you can easily share or use some professional voyeurism to see what others are tagging.

Flowgram
Flowgram is site that offers a way to present digital photographs
Creativity:

Creativity: Yes and No
Allow me to explain. While you are offered many variations of choice, I do feel that it is a little "PowerPointish" in a way that you are restrained by templates. Having said that I still think it is a very valuable tool for the classroom since these templates provide a solid structure that students can use as a guide.

Digital Presence and Expression: Yes
While the digital presence isn't like that of an avatar creator, you can truly express yourself however you want with Flowgram. You can share your photos, speak your mind and comment on what you have seen on specific web pages.

Community: Yes and No
Once again, there is way to see the work of others, but nothing that truly fosters community. On the other hand, one could easily use this tool to share experiences and points of view with the world. This could go either way.

Technology: Yes
Flowgram can easily be embedded into a blog or wiki. You can record audio through your microphone or upload. You can use images or text and record motions such as highlighting to redirect the viewer's attention to wherever you want it.

Notes: The few times that I have used Flowgram I really enjoyed it. It is intuitive and easy to navigate. The only thing I have noticed (and perhaps it is limited to me) is that it runs somewhat slow in this "I want it now" digital age. not horribly slow, but slow nonetheless. I am exploring the use of something like Flowgram or Voicethread with my students to share our experiences on a field trip. I am hoping to explore the importing of video as well as photographs.

So how could these tools be used in a constructivist learning model classroom?

Classblogmeister
During a study unit on the Native Americans of New York State, students would be asked to choose whether they would have preferred to have been an Iroquois man Iroquois woman, Algonquin man or Algonquian woman. They would be asked to support their choice with facts and opinions. Interaction and collaboration are truly cultivated as students evaluate and respond to each other's work.

Voki
During a study unit on European explorers, students would work to research and gather biographical information on a given explorer. They would then use an image of that person and the information that they have to write a journal entry or that person's personal reflections. Finally, the student would use everything to construct a Voki telling the story. The application by itself doesn't do much for community, but placing it in a wiki, a ning or another collaborative space will greatly help interaction.

Delicious
Students might be working to gather information for any given task and need a place to house it. This can be done collaboratively in groups or independently. The task can be anything from Social Studies research to math activities to technical expository sites for use of an application or software.

Flowgram
Following a series of lessons on writing from photographs, students might be asked to share the images of their favorite place in the whole world. They could supplement their own photos with their voices and use web sites to document the history of their chosen place and any other significance it might hold in the world outside of them.

Name, Rank, and Facebook Page...

So I was watching some new channel the other day, and the talk was all about the upcoming Obama administration. Now there will be a changing of the guard, the new administration is offering a whole slew of newly vacated positions (bye bye W!). Anyway, the new application includes 63 fields of personal and professional information. It isn't just the usual job app info that is being requested. It isn't that potential employees are asked about their families and if they own a gun. What made it interesting and different to me was the fact that one's digital life was being called into question for validation. They are asked if they have sent any e-mails that might embarrass the administration. They are asked for all Internet handles and screen names that are used by the potential employee. They are asked for blog posts and Facebook pages that might also provide cause for concern.

This piggy-backs my previous blog post regarding Will Richardson's talk at my district's Professional Development Day. Technology truly has become a give and take environment, and he is the upcoming executive branch of our government holding potential job applicants accountable for their 'actions.' If this isn't cause to start rethinking technology education and digital ethics, what other catalyst are you looking for???

Facebook and other social networking sites have also been used a tools. If you doubt it, take a look at President Elect Obama's own Facebook page. Barack Obama's Facebook Page It worked so well that an anti-Obama group put up a fake looking one to convey their messages. Even the haters love it I guess.