Tweets–They’ve got to mean something

Twitter is different way of writing: Recently I received a mention from a man I have a great deal of respect for. It said …

As result of this I have been reviewing why Sam would say this.

I Click, Publish, Send, Upload, Tweet and Chat.  My thoughts, ideas, images, voices, opinions are public and read by my PLN and searchers. I try to stay involved in this stream of information because I value it. I put tweets and posts into this stream to express what I am thinking to those who I would like to hear me. When I am reading observing or learning from this stream; putting back makes me feel like a true participant. I have always thought myself an OK writer but never a good editor.

@Samjarman made me realise I shouldn't just say anything, in any form I like; when others are going to read it. The implications for me are important enough to make this post necessary.

What had Sam seen in my tweets?

 

“So there is someone reading my tweets and they want something to be there”

My thinking is that the following might be important:

• Consider literary discipline to communicate effectively within 140 chars ie tighter not looser.
• Punctuation and intonation are my friends.
• Consider what the audience will need to understand what the tweet means.
• What purpose does the tweet have beyond self expression.

I like the idea of action: “Don’t think Do” Ewan McIntosh, “Ready, Fire, Aim” Michael Fullan and “Planning is Guessing” Jason Fried @jasonfried. These ideas are about the importance of doing.

What I am seeing is that audience and peers create a standard though under which efforts and actions will quickly try to navigate, realign and improve. This is the aim part that Fullan talks about. I hope that  the firing off of Tweets has help me aim via feedback.

On the bright side
I am motivated to get better at this so feel free to follow me @davein2it

Links:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9132410/Twitter_Tips_How_to_Write_Better_Tweets
http://smallbiztrends.com/2010/01/how-to-write-better-tweets.html

Reality Check Inventions

The Students have designed some inventions and spoken about the on ustream.
I was impressed by the creativity that went into ideas such as the “ultimate hair brush”,
”The Magniball wall” and the “Super Alpaca feeding station”. The ability to adapt, change and think in different ways shows that young students are able to move from designing to inventing. Well done.

It takes bit of strength to get up in front of the camera. There is a pause for about 30 seconds while one student gets up the courage to show what they invented.

 

Reality Check -Inventions

After a long time of being busy helping setting up a new professional learning community I finally had a chance to work with students again. So what Am I trying to concentrate on.

• lots of opportunity for students to contribute, think, do and to create flow
• using visual material and offering some choice for students to select material
• reflection on what we have created and opportunities for students to outline where their learning is at
• looking at habits of mind as prompts for just in time learning opportunities “what habit of mind do you think could have helped you get past this point?” “taking responsible risks”
• letting student thinking and communication exist in its own right ie not all thinking needs to be reported on or commented on it can just “be”.
• integrating literacy work into just in time teaching moments with questions like “If this is going to be read by others what might we need to in terms of editing?”
• Having student share reading and retelling of others oral and written ideas

 

The investigation prompts and some outcomes are below

 

 

We are going to look at a couple of movies to find out.

 

Here are a few more links to inventions, and kid inventions; have a look.

• Kid Inventions file

• The Fun Theory file  

• What is happening to mobile phones? Resource  

• Heaps of inventions to look at. file 

• Kid inventors on Ellen Show Resource  

 

This is what 4km thought what  they did was to use typewith.me to describe everything they thought about where inventions come from and then we put them into this Wordle This is what we thought.

Where do Inventions come from? from Media team on Vimeo.

What we think about inventions and where they come from.

Motivation

Daniel Pink talks about motivational aspects in his book Drive

Motivation requires three aspects

• Real sense of purpose
• Sense of Autonomy
• Sense of potential Mastery in what they are attempting

It concerns me that sometimes we seem to focus on things we think they should know rather than what motivates them.
Dan’s talk on the subject has a lot to offer educators looking for improved student outcomes.

At the school where I work I heard some students who were working on a market day project the other day say to a teacher "I have never worked so hard before". The way the student said it was with immense pride. The project has obviously struck a chord and motivated students to learn and achieve.

Connected Kids Solve Problems

I was at my computer when the noise that Skype makes when a message has arrived did its thing ie announced a message was there. It was from a student who I had worked with using Google Sketch up the year before his computer had a virus.
What impressed me was the language punctuation and genre that went into I have included the conversation below. The student is in year 5 and quite smart. What he managed to do was outsource his issue to me and get my advice to solve his virus issue. We need students who are able to work in this way because they are independent problem solvers. Note the last line of the conversation I even got thanks when the problem was solved.

These are the key competencies in action. Isn’t the action the best evidence of learning.

 

Letting kids learn

“The longer you wait for the future, the shorter it will be”

ThinkExist.com Quotations. “Loesje quotes”. ThinkExist.com Quotations Online 1 Nov. 2009. 28 Dec. 2009 <http://einstein/quotes/loesje/>

I had the opportunity to work with some students who were taking part in end of year examinations. Those who finished early (and in this case most did) were given the opportunity to do something quietly. I watched as they involved themselves in a number independent activities. I took some photos on my mobile which are here in the slideshow. I reminded me of books we used to have like 100 things to make and do. I feel that this sort of activity, scaffolded and enhanced, has the ability to increase the potential of our student’s

literacy/numeracy/operacy .

Have a look at the slideshow (just eight pictures) and I will explain what I mean.

The only instruction given was that the activity had to be silent while others were working on their exams. We have looked at and developed a framework for learning at Southwell where I teach. I highlighted the values and key competencies personal learning time similar to this might support. This is about “learning to learn” and putting the learner at the center of the learning. Accepting where our students are at and providing them with the tools for self improvement but how ….

Quality Assurance
Such a strategy as this independent learning time is now possible to develop and support through the use of ICT tools. I believe the key characteristics of this might be. This is the big disclaimer

• Classroom Climate - Supportive classroom communities where learning modeled shared celebrated etc.
• Reflection/expression/evidence/collaboration portals ie social networks, eportfolios (for lack of better word), gallery spaces, video repositories etc
• Clear goal setting and articulation for learning perhaps SMART Students are asked to check off whether the goal is specific, measurable, action-oriented, reasonable and timely. This could be as simple as What is the purpose of this learning? What will represent success for me? What have I/we done so far? What do I/we plan to do next? with this information in a web environment peers and others can be used to motivate guide learners through this.
• Formative community assessment – embedded teacher,peer and whole class feedback/feedforward
• Time availability for learning to take place – this could be small pockets of time after say maths in an primary/elementary environment as we know that the brain need less intensive work in order for the neural pathways to become entrenched see syn-aps. It could also be represented in a more flexible programme where teachers facilitate learning with significant online support and individual access to personal learning.
• Exemplars, evidence – Examples of tall poppies – growing poppies and aspiring poppies give students a clear direction.
• 1 to 1 Access - to the connectivity, networks, creation tools and appropriate physical spaces and resources.

The place of personal learning can find its feet and show its evidence. I will finish with a building created in google sketch up by a year 7 students and a link to an online novel written by my son Jack (16) both examples of personal learning and endeavour.

It's now and it's social if we let it

Missed the start of DK from mediasnackers workshop and came into with history of social interaction on the internet and then the Mobile/social learning onslaught.
Why are phones unwanted in schools? I am thinking especially camera in our school environment.
What about Kindy? See the 1 year old below

DK had an interesting digital story created by people writing on a4 and holding up their message and taking a picture
of it with the writer in the frame. .

My similar ideas for content

• What are the issues in our school?
• What helps you learn?
• I learn best when
• The book character was
• How does bullying effect people
• How does encouragement help you
• Also single frame digital story telling could come from these cameras
• sustainability messages
• Safety messages
• Poems
• Emotional responses
• Love more in comments below What do you think?

Milton Keynes youth service created the message below

This is simple but effective somehow knowing that the word was someone's makes it more powerful.

The second most popular reason youth use the web is Learning.
From the web makes me feel … This site collects and reflects on the results gathered from one ok DK's web interaction points.

I really liked this reflection on twitter

 

“Twitter not about contacting people about finding out about stuff”

DK was talking alot about the way things just are. You can use hash tags as a stream of information in twitter so why wouldn't you? it just is.
Very pragmatic I thought lets look at reality and what we can use around us. Simple tools and social networks.

As a 44 year old the infographic below made me feel so good I had won a competition that doesn't exist.
What do the baby boomers do in social media?

n 

Link to Media Snackers is found above. DK is very open and inviting
jumps straight to honorary kiwi status in my book.

Software for Learning

Fiona Grant based in School support services Auckland

Rochelle Jensen Waikato University

Urls http://softwareforlearning.tki.org.nz/

http://softwareforlearning.wikispaces.com

Rochelle described the software for learning site as  a

“One stop shop for teachers looking to select software for learning.”

Hot NEWS from workshop

A new search engine is in development and usernames will be individualised and transferable so they can transfer from one school to another. CWA are to make it possible for learning management systems to authenticate so users will not have to enter passwords. This will make these alot more popular in my eyes.

My ideas from the workshop

• Give one team member a role to locate suitable objects for a unit
• Revisit that object as a whole class and in groups
• Use the object for different perspectives each time
• Introduce the estories form the wiki to your whole staff or syndicate groups
• Well suited to social action and applying knowledge

The wikispace refers to the pedagogy behind this. This brings this closer to schools and looks ate their use in the classroom.
These stories are a good place to start for integration of learning objects into meaningful deep learning experiences.

The unit can already be started before the learning object is used. What happens when students think and apply past experiences to new situations. For example students who has looked at how dyed water is drawn into a plant. This is applied to the river context.

This can be watched at http://softwareforlearning.wikispaces.com/estory7
There was some great language of learning

Thoughts on what makes digital digital objects effective presented were
I’ll be back to

Thanks Rochelle and Fiona for providing examples of best practice in use of digistore.

Reading the right thing

This maybe what happens when people read this blog post. If not it probably because
we have chosen to or are seeking to learn about text vs visual language
through an emotional connection.
If from our perspective this is meaningful to us our brain will store it. I see visual information as more inately engaging.
Did the use of the red bold text get our attention? Is this a method of making the reading have more perceived benefit?

I plan to use visual text and prior reflection to help select what material, media, genre that students I work with will be exposed to.
Enthusiasm and engagement will need to be established before they start reading 
Even better if they are part of the selection process it may help to ensure they predict benefit.

.

Students View

What some students thought when asked if schools should go 1 to 1. They were also asked what they were proud of in their use of a Netbook. Interesting to me were that they all had different personal ideas on this and that their reasoning for why was based on sound ideas rather than the gadget factor.

Seeing is Believing

Sometimes somethings just are!
When we worked as a team investigating the use of games in education one of our
goals was.

To determine the best method of student involvement in the game that will maximise student learning .

We posed this question to teachers and students as well as videoing what happened when we got 100 students together for a big game day. The video is below What do you think?

New Literacies revisited

Teachers are biggest effect

Having re-read some of John Hattie's research about the teacher having the greatest effect on learning. It seems to be reinforced as I watch the teachers in the xbox colab project working with learners and running their classes. I recorded the video below with Jo Wilson asking questions of Geoff Booth. I see how this is reinforced. The use of xbox 360s is succeeding because of:

• clear instructional design
• collaborative design
• student voice
  
• pursuit of key competencies
• patience
• research
• organisation
• feedback
• emotional engagement
  

By the way the video was taken using my mobile phone a nokia n95 I am quite happy with the quality.

Introducing the tablets

The video above shows Tim Bullock with a clear path to looking at the tablet with his students. The short reflections from students from another class helps us realise that the students have little real understanding of the potential of their devices and refer to uses they make of similar technology.

Jedd Bartlett in his blog
Points to a Jisc report that indicates there is more to ICT than natural use. “New report reveals the information needs of the researchers and learners of the future: The report by the CIBER research team at University College London claims that, although young people demonstrate an ease and familiarity with computers, they rely on the most basic search tools and do not possess the critical and analytical skills to asses the information that they find on the web…”

While addressing analytical skills I feel this reinforces my belief that outside of the teachable moment we need to still scaffold student learning with some clear learning design and intentions for the technology we are adapting more and more. The term "digital native" has been somewhat used as an abdication of reponsibilty for student learning. My feeling is we cannot merely hand over technology in the hope the students will work this out for themselves.

What can we do to improve this with students.(my initial thoughts)

• Ask students to explore capabilities in some depth and work with others on them
• Have students explore some technical communications on the web
• have students post some technical communications to the web
• Look at what others have achieved
• Use co-constructed rubrics
• Lay down explicit challenges
• Be prepared to build base knowledge outside of inquiry
• (authentic learning can take place here)
• Discussion and role based group work
• Always have a learning design

Please help add to or rephrase this list

Cognitive Rehearsal -

Hey; is this web tool Flowgram the death of powerpoint? I think so.
Well with a half decent internet connection this program is very flexible and powerful.
Of course best practise always needs to be established and finally I have a tip for recording voice.

• Use a script!!

I am now sitting at the dining table eating fruit and crumble and able to add to this.

• Use a script and provide time for cognitive rehearsal.

I feel we should do this when asking students for opinions, thoughts and solutions. Without the preparation of thinking and pre-planning even a hot jam session will struggle to impress.
Finally am I learning to learn?
Here is a flowgram created for the unconference the Journey Cluster held last week.
It is easy peasy.

Change change change

This Literacy time line I made for a recent workshop pointed out that a couple of things have changed recently. What does this mean for teaching and learning.
Have added some new literacies below to add to this list

• Do we need to rethink every thing?
• Maybe not but we certainly need to question it?

New literacies? or literacies on the rise?

• oral literacy
• media literacy
• visual literacy
• cultural literacy
• informational literacy
• environmental literacy
• operacy (see edward de bono)

add a quick comment if there is any thing feel would add to the timeline.

Face 2 Face has online down for count?

Get engaged?

Wanting to reflect on what face to face and what online communication
and learning had to offer. I used the following to stir my thinking pot about it.

• The Face to Face curve
• Average retention rates Pyramid
• The Australian article about students saying no podcasts
  

The Face To Face Curve

While not dismissing online interactions this representation points to some thing special
happening in face to face environments. It makes some sense to me having just been to the big face to face of Ulearn08. I believe that huge learning that can happen when we txt, blog, read and comment within our personal learning networks. The people we are involved with in these
spaces are more filterable and subject to our moderation. The New Zealand educators in my learning network may get verified by f2f meetings but there can be an interaction richness long before this. It would lead me to think that f2f can provide alot but the essence of effective learning may come about from other nuances likely to exist in that environment.



























Average Retention Rates



















The average retention diagram (from USA's National Training Laboratory)has some other insights in my mind as to what we might look for to maximise learning.
Given the f2f curve's proposition that communication, capability and richness increase as we approach a f2f threshhold the average retention throws down a different perspective.

Much participatory and active learning achievement can come from engagement in online learning.

Even some physical achievements are virtualised and placed online as performances, document of construction and actual events.

In fact the face to face often is now recorded to become the digital artifact.

Many bloggers have posting as a part of a personal learning network that has perhaps more emotional engagement and nuance (perhaps stretching it) than we would expect.

Facilitating f2f meetings will bring most for these bloggers when the same discussion groups, teaching of others and practice by doing is afforded by the face to face experience.

(note this diagram has been ousted as a hoax)

Students say no to Podcasts

Which brings me to no wonder we have students saying no to the lack of inspiration, encouragement and isolation where online learning is not well constructed and understanding interaction richness.

Visual literacy Reality check

Visual literacy Reality check
I have interviewed Peter Walch an innovative teacher at Southwell School
about the impact of visual literacy on learning. Learners in Pete's class have told powerful stories with Visual Language driving the message. I asked Pete some questions about Visual Literacy and he came up with some interesting answers.

Video from 2007

Key Competencies in my classroom.

The image below is taken from eduorigami a indepth look at learning from Andrew Churches of Kristin School. I used the image to help me consider what learning might look like for students. We have been asked as a staff to consider what we see as important with the key competencies so here Goes. What would it look like in my classroom? While Andrew's diagram is not only about competencies it has helped me to think where I stand with them. What would we try to work towards as a group.




Thinking

• Creating something original and owning ideas
• Real problem solving and reflection using
  
• Teaching others how to do things about what we discover
  
• Looking from different perspectives (the discipline of creativity)
  
• Creative thinking across disciplines
  
• Taking risks in problem solving
  

Communication

• Real world communication (online publishing, blogging, commenting on others etc)
  
• Working with and creating visual and oral communications
  
• Media literacy (understanding the purpose and origin of media we see and hear)
  
• Using digital tools to communicate effectively
  
• Working with an Audience
• Understanding and working towards realistic standards of work
• Adapting and creating knowledge.
  

Managing Self

• Self assessment and peer assessment
• Regular Goal setting and review
• Managing impulsivity with technology
  
• Persistence and extending ability
• Risk taking
  
• Being the best we can be
  
• Feeling ok with who we are
• Act appropriately in a range of settings
• Having our own strategies
  

Relating to others

• View situations from others perspectives
• Working with people distant in time and place
• Peer review and support
• Varied group work
• Manners
• Be an active listener

Participating and contributing

• Social action informing others
  
• Service
• Team commitment and involvement
• Operacy as in the ability to do and be part of something

head, shoulders, knees and toes

This post started as a quick rant on the need to consider health in learning. I have revised this to saying we need to consider how we learn: engaging with reality, rather than utopian ideals, using research alongside beliefs and past experiance.

This star gazette article talks up the importance of exercise in offering brain-related benefits such as reducing stress and improving attention.
There are some schools where exercise is making way with keeping up with requirements in other areas.
To me it reminds us that some of the most important things in education maybe quite subtle health, diet, art, music, emotional engagement ,values, learning a second language etc. I say maybe as I feel this is what we need to come to understand . My concern is that we will repond to the challenges of the future with an increasing number of checklists rather than an agreement of what is important.
Julia Aitken talks about learning to learn. So the question for me is will being healthy and involvement in music help add to engagement levels when engagement is what is wanted at the highest levels. This reminds me of the need also for downtime when new understanding is hard. For example moving from a demanding session of maths to another one in formal language may actually reduce understanding with the brain not allowed time to build pathways for this learning.

Some recent research concludes

The brain performs many functions simultaneously. Learning is enhanced by a rich environment with a variety of stimuli.

Learning engages the entire physiology. Physical development, personal comfort, and emotional state affect the ability to learn.

The search for meaning is innate. The mind's natural curiosity can be engaged by complex and meaningful challenges.

taken from a table of the implications on brain research for how we learn

Recent Research Suggests	Teaching Suggestions
The brain performs many functions simultaneously. Learning is enhanced by a rich environment with a variety of stimuli.	Present content through a variety of teaching strategies, such as physical activities, individual learning times, group interactions, artistic variations, and musical interpretations to help orchestrate student experiences.
Learning engages the entire physiology. Physical development, personal comfort, and emotional state affect the ability to learn.	Be aware that children mature at different rates; chronological age may not reflect the student's readiness to learn. Incorporate facets of health (stress management, nutrition, exercise) into the learning process.
The search for meaning is innate. The mind's natural curiosity can be engaged by complex and meaningful challenges.	Strive to present lessons and activities that arouse the mind's search for meaning.
The brain is designed to perceive and generate patterns.	Present information in context (real life science, thematic instruction) so the learner can identify patterns and connect with previous experiences.
Emotions and cognition cannot be separated. Emotions can be crucial to the storage and recall of information.	Help build a classroom environment that promotes positive attitudes among students and teachers and about their work. Encourage students to be aware of their feelings and how the emotional climate affects their learning.
Every brain simultaneously perceives and creates parts and wholes.	Try to avoid isolating information from its context. This isolation makes learning more difficult. Design activities that require full brain interaction and communication.
Learning involves both focused attention and peripheral perception.	Place materials (posters, art, bulletin boards, music) outside the learner's immediate focus to influence learning. Be aware that the teacher's enthusiasm, modeling, and coaching present important signals about the value of what is being learned.
Learning always involves conscious and unconscious processes.	Use "hooks" or other motivational techniques to encourage personal connections. Encourage "active processing" through reflection and metacognition to help students consciously review their learning.
We have at least two types of memory: spatial, which registers our daily experience, and rote learning, which deals with facts and skills in isolation.	Separating information and skills from prior experience forces the learner to depend on rote memory. Try to avoid an emphasis on rote learning; it ignores the learner's personal side and probably interferes with subsequent development of understanding.
The brain understands best when facts and skills are embedded in natural spatial memory.	Use techniques that create or mimic real world experiences and use varied senses. Examples include demonstrations, projects, metaphor, and integration of content areas that embed ideas in genuine experience.
Learning is enhanced by challenge and inhibited by threat.	Try to create an atmosphere of "relaxed alertness" that is low in threat and high in challenge.
Each brain is unique. The brain's structure is actually changed by learning.	Use multifaceted teaching strategies to attract individual interests and let students express their auditory, visual, tactile, or emotional preferences.
Caine, R.N., Caine, G. (October 1990). Understanding a Brain Based Approach to Learning and Teaching. Educational Leadership 48, 2, 66-70. (Excerpts). Adapted by permission of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Copyright 1985 by ASCD.