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August 28, 2007

Google Jockeys, Live Blogging, and Parallel Thinking

Recently, I've presented several sessions where I've used a Google Jockey and employed Live Blogging, as I learned from Karl Fisch and Anne Smith. The results have been mixed, but then again, these are educators in very large groups who are just getting their heads around the idea by the time the whole thing is over. I'm quite sure that a second day of this would yield better results. In fact, when I used the approach in my class this summer, things went very well by the second question.

Two things occur to educators as they experience this. First, the big question of "how will I ever get this to work in my classroom?" This NYTimes article about using a laptop in meetings seemed right on point as people in the work force figure out the etiquette of using a laptop, maximizing efficiency, and participating in the meeting.

That brings up the other question. This one is "can they really split their attention like this?" There have been lots of experiments which prove that students can and do, and get better at it all the time. (Remember when we had to study in a quiet place???) (see Prensky, "Do They Really Think Differently?) The real proof is that after adults do this a little bit they start realizing they can do it. Then the fun can begin.

Posted by Pat on 1:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 22, 2007

Why WebQuests are so 20th Century

For many years I have been a great fan of WebQuests. They were really the hot ticket in the Wild West days of the Web back in the '90's. However, I think the time has come to move on and here's my reasoning.

First of all, the large number of educators who I meet still believe that a WebQuest is an online scavenger hunt. That was never true and the definition from 1995 bears that out.

Second, the benefits of WebQuests in the late '90's have largely been overcome in the wake of Web improvements.

• WebQuests were a great way for teachers to organize resources, but we now have del.icio.us accounts which are far richer and offer tag clouds that encourage broader thinking. We also have Wikipedia which predigests a lot of this for us and sends us off to great resources.
• WebQuests were a way for teachers and students to become more familiar with the Web...'nuff said.
• WebQuests provide a framework for scaffolding higher-order thinking...uh oh.

So now that we are in 2007, WebQuests no longer really do scaffold higher-order thinking.

• In most cases, the task is laid out for students right from the start so they are robbed of the higher-order thinking required to solve some problem set out for them and which the resources presented might support them in that thinking. To be fair, I looked at the WebQuest page and found these exemplars, which still have these problems. Tom March, one of the co-creators, tried to move the concept forward with his BestWebQuests.com and provides The 7 Red Flags: Warning Signs when Sifting WebQuests.
• The rich resources and search tools available on the Web now offer great opportunities for students collect, evaluate, and share resources. We'd be much better off helping students find resources that solve problems if the goal is to scaffold higher-order thinking.

If any more convincing is needed, just take a look at Instant WebQuests which encourages you to "Create a WebQuest in 15 Minutes." So much for thoughtful curriculum development.

But, I do believe (and taught for many years) that WebQuests were a great model for teaching with technology. I still believe that was true only now I think we've moved on by learning from these. Thanks, Bernie Dodge and Tom March! (BTW, both are still doing great work and a look at Dodge's Blog gives a hint that he might be sharing my point of view ... One Trick Pony!)

Posted by Pat on 12:10 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

August 13, 2007

Keeping Up to Date

I've been asked many times for suggestions on how to stay up-to-date with what's happening in technology. Here is a combination of what I use and what I'd recommend to get started. If these aren't your cup of tea, they will lead you to others that might suit you better.

1. K-12 online conference -- This is a great place to see presentations by educators about how to succeed online. The conference was first held in 2006 and is now accepting proposals for 2007. Follow the links on the right side to browse presentations that fit your needs then sit back and enjoy a presentaton.


2. Teachertube.com -- In the course I taught this summer, we used Youtube every day for videos that illuminated or extended what we were discussing. Unfortunately, this is blocked in most schools. You can find much of the same valuable content at teachertube.com, as well as many teaching specific videos. It also uses the same easy to search and view software.


3. Edutopia -- This site is funded by the George Lucas Educational Foundation and is an online magazine. Its main focus is on how schools are meeting the challenges of the 21st century, but this also involves a does of technology. There are lots of great articles and videos of real classrooms in acton.


4. EdTechWeekly -- This is a weekly discussion of the latest news and resources of interest to the EdTech Community which you can access either by subscribing to it as a podcast, by participating live via Skype, or simpl


5. Del.icio.us -- This is a more general site for sharing bookmarks, but it is a great way to ride the coattails of any educator you might be interested in. To use it, first get a free login. From there you can add experts to your network. My bookmarks can be found at http://del.icio.us/sine. But I also take advantage of the work of a few expert and heavy users of del.icio.us. They are David Warlick, Will Richardson and EdTechWeekly. Even with just these three, I have an overwhelming number of links to follow at my leisure, but it makes the web so much easier!

Posted by Pat on 10:53 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack