Engage – Part 3

Tags

education, Learning, Social Media, Technology

On March 2, 2013 I had the honor and privilege to give the keynote at WEtech 13. The theme of the conference was Technology + Teaching = Student Engagement and the theme of my keynote was ENGAGE. Below is the last of three posts from my speech designed to encourage educators to engage in the use of technology to improve instruction and enhance learning.

We need to create opportunities for student engagement that allow learning to transcend the classroom and we have to improve learning and learning opportunities in our subject areas that create global perspectives. Today, there are opportunities to learn about other cultures and communities directly from the people in those culture and communities. Technology bridges the gap. We just need to be willing to…

ENGAGE!

Today’s conference will help you be better at engaging our students and it will help you help other educators use technology in their classrooms to engage our students. But how do WE do that?

The first step is to expose other educators to it through modeling its use. Don’t be pushy. Just use it and talk about its use in your classroom, the faculty room and in the halls. Explain how it’s improving student learning and making you more efficient.

The second step is to encourage those who show an interest. As you talk and expose your student and other educators to the uses of technology for education some will like what they see. It’s our responsibility to help those who show an interest get an understanding of what is possible.

The third step is to ask to demonstrate it to a few colleagues or at a faculty meeting and show them how it enhances and improves student learning and makes us better educators. There is so much technology out there today that many educators do not know where to start and others are just scared of it. Remind our colleagues they just need to pick something, try it and experiment.

It is our responsibility to help them…

ENGAGE

As we think about our profession and how it is evolving we realize that we are training students for jobs and responsibilities that do not exist yet and as a result we can not teach them in a manner that reinforces the past. Technology will be an integral part of our future and so it should be equally as important in our learning and teaching.

Every day I see how technology is being integrated into our general routines. We will never be replaced by a box but we must also understand that we will need to work in conjunction with the box.With these in mind we need to think of educating students differently and better than the way we were trained in college and better than we were taught. Not because we were poorly taught but because learning has changed and if learning has changed so must teaching change.

I do not remember a class in college on using technology in the classroom when I was training to be an educator. But there are classes now for new graduates. I do not remember any classes on using technology and social media to engage our students as learners outside of the classroom but there should be AND not just for the future teachers training to be educators tomorrow. It should be there for us too. So we can use it now.

So we can … ENGAGE … Our colleagues around the world…grow our Professional Learning Networks… and so we can collaborate and share.

So other educators sitting in a presentation to start their school year are not told that they will be replaced by a box. So our students can ENGAGE in learning that teaches them to be better students, that learning happens everywhere and that they can get the very best learning environment from us.

We have a vital role in helping our profession evolve so that we are not replaced by a box or an ipad or the next great piece of technological creativity. Our role includes helping others to understand the benefit of technology’s integration into learning. We are responsible for our students’ learning and our students’ engagement. We, educators, are here to learn and to teach as long as we understand that:

TECHNOLOGY + TEACHING   = STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

And that formula will take us forward, no matter what the future holds or how technology evolves, or how our profession evolves as long as…

WE AS EDUCATORS AGREE THAT IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO OUR STUDENTS AND OUR PROFESSION TO…

ENGAGE

Thank you and let’s start WE Tech…

ENGAGE – Part 2

Tags

education, Engagement, leadership, Social Media, We Tech

On March 2, 2013 I had the honor and privilege to give the keynote at WEtech 13. The theme of the conference was:                                                                     Technology + Teaching = Student Engagement 

The theme of my keynote was ENGAGE. Below is the second in a series of excerpts from my speech designed to encourage educators to engage in the use of technology to improve instruction and enhance learning.

What does engagement through technology look like for educators?

Today, it looks like a triangle. The base is lurking. As we lurk we learn and there is a break point in which our lurking and learning leads to understanding and contributing. To me these run simultaneously.

The more we understand the more we should contribute. But here is where the problem exists for educators. We are either unsure how to engage or what to use to engage. So as a result our engagement is minimal.

For others the break point is literally that a break point for which the connection is not made and no further use of or engagement in the use of technology occurs in the classroom. Learning returns to the way it has always been.

Instead we should attempt to use our time to lurk and learn to the break point in which we see the value in using technology and social media in education which then results in increased contributions and ultimately full engagement.

How this happens is when we begin to understand and accept that we can teach and learn beyond our classroom with the assistance of technology. Our students can engage inside and outside of the school.

And our students want to do this… NOW!

But most importantly it happens when we consider technology a tool similar to paper and a pencil, and not that extra special thing that is used every once in a while as a treat or bonus.

There are people who say taking learning outside of the classroom through the use of technology and creating learning opportunities that have no physical or time boundaries isn’t necessary or is too much for our students. I say this is modern day educational engagement. Technology and Teachers are creating an environment for student engagement that we have never seen before.

It’s interesting, educational, fun, collaborative, and innovative.

But this new transformation needs to be seen as valuable to learning. If we are going to engage our students using technology then let’s do it because it will:

1. Improve student learning, and
2. Make instruction more efficient

There is no reason to use technology in education if it does not do these two things. By doing both we are being innovative with technology and when we are innovative others want to emulate our efforts.

But we can-not imagine being innovative if WE don’t…

ENGAGE

Almost twenty years ago I sat in a professional development workshop by an entertaining futurist who sent the message that teachers would be replaced by technology in the very near future. Imagine this was a message given to a room of teachers to start their year!

At the time we had nothing like what we have today. Laptops were not prevalent in schools, forget the idea of tablets and iPads, and the thought of smartphones and the zillions of apps now available were still years and years away. But that message left an impression on me. Specifically, could we, humans… teachers… educators and our schools be replaced by a box?

If so, I just wasted 4 years of college and didn’t have a back-up plan. The common arguments against this idea went around about the need for schools as places for socialization of students. But that is not why this educational prophecy failed. It failed because it was an extreme. It assumed all or none and anticipated that educators would not evolve as technology did. It also assumed that educators would want to maintain the status quo.

What it failed to realize is that educators would change and we would…

ENGAGE

It failed to realize that as educators changed, we would work to change our classroom environments. It failed because as teachers we saw the value in getting our students to…

ENGAGE

But it has taken almost 20 years for this to happen. For education that is rather fast. Just think about it… How long did we use chalk as our primary instructional tool?

I’m happy to say that with the advancement of technology and infusion of it in our schools two things are true:

1. We will not be replaced by a box, and                                                                                      2. We are now using technology to engage our students.

As educators we need to understand that this is one of our professional responsibilities. Student engagement through technology is here… now… it’s not an educational prophecy… it is a reality.

You, I, WE need to…

ENGAGE!

ENGAGE – Part 1

Tags

education, Google, Learning, Social Media, Twitter

On March 2, 2013 I had the honor and privilege to give the keynote at WEtech 13. The theme of the conference was Technology + Teaching = Student Engagement and the theme of my keynote was ENGAGE. Below is the first in a series of excerpts from my speech designed to encourage educators to engage in the use of technology to improve instruction and enhance learning.

Good morning WE Tech. It’s an honor and a privilege to speak with you today about a few things I am very passionate about:

Education, Teaching, Learning, Technology

And how they have finally, after all these years come together!

Today you will experience what it’s like to be both a student and teacher. You will learn and teach today. Maybe that learning and teaching will take place in a classroom, or in the hallway, or during lunch. But have no doubt that learning and teaching will occur… today… in every corner of this school because learning is EVERYWHERE. It’s all around us.

Why is this so important? First, because this is the way learning should be EVERYDAY in all of our schools. It should happen everywhere, every day of our lives. Second, it reminds us of our foundation as educators. As both student and as teachers we must expect to learn everywhere and every day. We must look for and demand as educators that learning is for both student and educator. Third, because learning that is everywhere signifies and is an example of student engagement.

Learning is no longer memorization and regurgitation of facts and figures. It’s about student engagement. It’s about creating a learning environment where our students can connect, collaborate and learn from each other, us, and others. Today’s learning at WEtech, on student engagement, and our own learning engagement is so different than other professional development we have experienced over the years. Today’s professional development here at WEtech is all about making the learning environment come alive.

For years professional development for educators was a one and done model or brought to you by “experts” who were not practitioners but had a program or service that would make us better teachers and our students smarter. However, when the day was over the training was over and most times than not we would return to our schools and do the same thing we did prior to the training. That’s not what today is about. We are all about engagement today.

Today we are talking about student engagement. Something educators have struggled with and debated about for decades. Student engagement is evolving. At one time student engagement meant that our students stayed awake throughout the lecture given in every class all day long.

Kind of like this…

Student engagement takes on a new face in education and today is an example of how much student engagement is changing and how dedicated you are to it. Your desire to focus on student engagement is a testament to your desire as educators to be engaged in the learning, sharing, and teaching process.

How do I know this to be true? Well if you asked me two years ago to go to a professional development workshop on a Saturday… in March… heck in any month… I’d say… NO, why would I want to do that and what would make it worth my time? Yet, in the last 2 years I’ve been to more Saturday PD workshops than I can count and for the last year I get up every Saturday morning to have a discussion with educators from around the world on Twitter at 7:30 AM.

Why is this exciting? Because technology makes learning possible for educators every day. It’s exciting because we understand the need for educators and our students to engage in the use of technology. And we are educators dedicated to student engagement through the use of technology. But what is this new engagement and how do we achieve it?

WE Tech has a formula that we should follow:

Technology + Teaching = Student Engagement

For modern educators who believe in making our schools better, more inviting, interactive and yes, engaging we must make this formula popular among educators because our profession has been stagnant for way too long and it is currently under heavy scrutiny. But more importantly this formula is important because it has become evident to educators that using technology and engaging our students’ learning no longer limits instruction, knowledge, learning and collaboration to the walls of the school or times of the school day.

Think of that for a moment. We are now able to provide opportunities for educational connections, collaboration and learning outside of the walls of our schools. And I’m not talking about a really good multiplication worksheet for a homework assignment. I’m talking about real interactive learning.

For example, I’m using an app right now that will send out Tweets using the #WEtech13 hashtag to you as a way to backchannel this conversation. I’m doing this because I want to engage you in a deeper conversation about student engagement while I speak and after we are done learning today. By doing so I am assuring the conversation carries on long after we have left WEtech.

That’s part of the difference. We can learn from each other and contribute to the conversation tonight, tomorrow morning and next week. And we can do this with our students too… RIGHT NOW!

Educators now have the ability to engage our students inside and outside of the classroom 24 hours a day 7 days a week in all different ways.

We can use: Twitter, Facebook, Edmodo, Video, Podcasts, Webcasts, Text messages, Articles, Graphics, and those always entertaining Infographics

There are literally hundreds of options out there. You just need to pick one, try, experiment…

ENGAGE

You see it is my opinion that if we want to Teach and use technology to get student engagement we as educators need to…  

ENGAGE

This is the first in a series of excerpts from my keynote at WE Tech 13 Conference on March 2, 2013

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Educational Social Media

Tags

Edmodo, education, Google, Social Media, Twitter

 

Image Credit: flickr.com

The use of social media for educators to connect, learn and collaborate with each other is so powerful. But in the last six weeks I have been frustrated, discouraged and disheartened by the fact that each Saturday morning the chat I co-founded (#satchat) with Brad Currie (@bcurrie5) has been the victim of spam. This is unacceptable and a black eye on Twitter. As educators who use social media we should expect, dare I say demand, that all the social media services used to connect us will do so in a manner that provides us with what we want, professional connections with colleagues, in a safe environment and not what we are getting week after week, spam that invades and destroys the very fabric of our efforts.

This issue is bigger than our small Saturday morning educational conversation. It’s about the educational feasibility of specific social media services and how they are or are not responsive to a segment of their users. Twitter is a large and growing community that is easy to use. I loved this about it from the day I was hooked into using it. But what makes it appealing is what is making it ugly. As an educator who promotes the use of social media to my colleagues for learning inside and out of the classroom I need to reevaluate this service’s use beyond its most basic purpose.

There are alternatives like Edmodo and Google+ Communities. But why should we be chased from any one service by a small group of spammers who are using computer programs to invade trending topics? We shouldn’t have to be and it’s time for educators to take a stand. Not just about this issue but about the issues of technology and social media for educational use. We need to be part of the conversation. Technology enhancements and social media services need to engage us, explore what we need and put a focus on the teacher and the learner.

My most recent experiences on Twitter have me advocating the following:

1. An educational focus by technology companies and social media services that provides a safe environment for the adults and students in education to connect, learn and collaborate with each other.
2. Technology companies and social media services more aware of and responsive to the needs of the educational community. We may be a small group right now but we are growing every day.
3. The creation and expansion of educational technology and social media in our classrooms. The companies and services need to know there is a place for them beyond a desktop, laptop or Smartboard. They have to know we are using it!

As disheartened as I may be with the recent events involving my #satchat conversation on Saturday mornings, I also see it as an opportunity for positive change. We can look at a bad situation and sit back and let it continue or we can step up and help to fix it in a manner that creates a better environment for all. I choose the second because I believe in educational technology and social media. Who’s with me? Who will help shape the future use of technology and social media in education? Let’s be part of the solution, not a part of the problem, and, most importantly, not a bystander as this issue gets sorted out.

The Great 140 Character Debate

Image Credit: http://taliamark.com/blog/index.php?d=23&m=02&y=12

We are accustomed to abbreviations and symbols that signify a message. For as

long as we have communicated we have used abbreviations and symbols to provide messages beyond the words themselves. The term HELP means more than the four characters it consumes. SOS even more and has one less character, and OK one less and still has meaning beyond its two characters. So why is there so much debate over the validity and value associated with using certain forms of social media to communicate, collaborate, and connect among educators through a limited number of characters?

Social media applications including and similar to Twitter have a set number of characters to get your message across to others using the service. With Twitter you are limited to 140 characters but the reality is far less. If you are engaged in a discussion involving a specific topic there is often a hashtag that consumes some of those 140 characters.  As a result, critics of this form of communication have stated it has little or no value in the grand scheme of learning, sharing and/or communicating among educators. This view is shortsighted and simplifies an ever growing complex world of communication among educators that starts with a limited number of characters and expands well beyond the initial message. Here’s why:

1. Brevity is a skill not often demonstrated in the professional world. Regardless of our jobs and titles most people like to talk beyond the topic. Limiting characters make brevity possible. As a result communication is richer and on target.
2. Serious communication, collaboration, and connections through social media in the educational world are initiated through limited character interaction but expand outside of this arena. Most who engage in these opportunities see the 140 characters as a way to start the communication. It’s no different than attending a networking meeting and introducing yourself to someone. The difference is the conversation is not limited to the face to face experience that happens in person. Others can find interest in the dialogue happening on line, join in or connect later.
3. This form of communication does not require you to be present when the connection is made. Sending a tweet today can be viewed tomorrow or a week later by someone who has interest in what you have said and then connects with you.
4. Limited character messages include links to videos, articles, webpages, shared documents, blogs, etc. This is the true power of social media. With the attachment of a link and the click of your mouse you are transported to another location where there can be more information, resources, dialogue or collaboration. In this case the tweet is a porthole to more way beyond the 140 characters.

Superficially examining the communication of educators through social media and declaring it of little or no value because of limited character use is an indication of a lack of knowledge about these types of applications and how our educational connections carry on beyond the initial message. The reality is if a picture is worth a thousand words, a tweet is worth a thousand connections!

Is Social Media Creating the NOW Generation?

Tags

Facebook, Google, Skype, Social Media, Twitter

Society is filled with generations of people who have different life experiences. We have the Baby Boomers, Gen X’s, Gen Y’s and now Gen C’s (Connected Generation). This mix of generations had different ways of communicating and sharing information over the years. Today, the common thread between our generations is communication and information sharing.

With the dawn of social media over the last decade, communication and information sharing has evolved at a rapid rate. Options have ranged from the increasingly less relevant use of email, to the more interactive Twitter, Skype, Google Hangouts, and Facebook. Depending on the service you can tie in text, videos, pictures, links, and live streams. These communication and information services, and many more not mentioned above, provide the ability to communicate and share information in real time.

It’s this real time ability that is now blending our generations into one I believe can be called the NOW Generation. What’s amazing about the NOW Generation is the amount and type of information being shared. Family members, educators, businesses, and government organizations are using technology to communicate and share general, important, vital, and emergency information to others all over the world. This is both fantastic and challenging.

The fantastic part of this ability to communicate and share information is that people are more connected than ever and have the ability identify and link to what they need to know in just seconds. The challenge is twofold. First the information needs to be relevant, timely and up-to-date. The second is that once we, as the NOW Generation, have experienced real time communication and sharing of information, we expect it, and we want it NOW. Therefore, the relevant question becomes how do we keep up?

So I thought why not make this blog post interactive and responsive. I ask you, my blog readers, these two questions and hope you will leave answers in the comments section:

1. Are we the NOW Generation? Why or Why not?
2. How do we encourage the use of technology for communication and sharing of information yet establish realistic expectations for when and how often we communicate and share information?

Please share your thoughts.

Defining Social Media for Educators

Tags

Edmodo, education, Facebook, Google, Social Media, Twitter

Everywhere you go there is talk about using and integrating social media in the world of education. There is talk about Twitter, Facebook, Google +, Edmodo, etc. But what is this elusive social media? When I put in Google the phrase “definition of social media” there were pages and pages of definitions. So to add to the pile and to focus on the educational world I pose my own definition based on experience using social media and being an educator.

For me social media starts with a technology service that provides access. We all know the primary providers, some of which are listed above, but we should not be limited to the most popular. The key word is access. Access to what? For me this is where the definition takes shape.
Access to:
1. Connecting with other educators.
2. Communicating with other educators.
3. Learn from other educators.
4. Share with other educators.
5. Inform other educators.
6. Collaboration with other educators.

So putting together my social media for educators definition it would be:

Using a technology service that provides access and a connection to other educators so they can communicate, learn, share, inform and collaborate with each other.

Sometimes we make our definitions too complex. Social media for educators is all about the connections made and what we can do with those connections to be a better educator.

The Most Powerful Educational Disrupter

Tags

Educational Disruption, Global Education, Learning

The evolution of education continues at a staggering pace. As it does new ways of teaching, resources, services and collaboration are popping up on a daily basis. These new creations are designed to be educational disrupters that bring about improvement to the world of education or transform the way, how and who we educate. Of all the new ideas out there I argue that the most powerful educational disrupter already exists.

This disrupter has the power to:
1. Bring about massive educational change.
2. Engage large groups of students and educators.
3. Create educational environments in the real and virtual world.
4. Design and execute dynamic and interactive learning.
5. Continue the educational evolution and add to the movement.

The disrupter I am describing is… YOU the educator!

No other educational “creation” has more potential and ability to adapt to the changing educational environment than YOU the eductor. Without YOU the educator none of the other disrupters are possible.

Over the years educators have adapted, adjusted, integrated, collaborated and infused new curricula, technology, resources and, now, global education into instruction. YOU the educator are the greatest educational disrupter available who can continue to improve instruction and the learning environment for every child, help other educators become better and more effective, engage more parents and the community, and most of all make education a respected and highly collaborative profession for future educational disrupters.

But how do you become the greatest educational disrupter? You must:
1. Take our profession seriously and want to be the very best educator possible.
2. Continue to learn, adapt, and experiment with new learning tools and resources.
3. Collaborate globally with other educators to stay abreast of new technology and techniques, and to work with them on educational activities.
4. Allow your classroom to be an observatory for other educators who are not ready or need to learn more about the skills, techniques and resources you are using.
5. Encourage and assist others in learning how to be an educational disrupter.

There are so many new and creative ideas for transforming education. Some may actually be successful. However, none of them will be successful without the most powerful educational disrupter… YOU the educator.

Social Media: Why Educators Should Be Excited

Tags

Collaboration, education, Social Media, Twitter, UStream

In the last eighteen months I have gone from the humdrum world of professional development being provided in stale and un-engaging environments to an interactive, global world of professional educators focused on professional development for themselves and their colleagues. That environment is a result of the explosion of social media in the educational world.

My social media experiences have helped me grow in my understand of and engagement in professional development through social media. On a recent Saturday I had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion at EdCampbmore (Baltimore, Maryland). The panel included participants in EdCampMSP (Minneapolis, St. Paul) and me in New Jersey. The panel met using Google+ and was streamed live using UStream. The live feed was also viewable on TeacherCast.net. Simply put, it was an awesome example of using social media for positive, productive and interactive professional development.

The experience left me energized and feeling like educators are making great strides in their use of social media for the betterment of our profession. After reflecting on the experience I identified three reasons why educators should be excited about these types of professional development opportunities:

1. Global Professional Development – Professional development in the era of social media is global and without walls. The opportunity to make contact with and engage other educators in the pursuit of information or collaborate is simple, fast and readily available. Gone are the days of saying, “If only I knew someone who did a lesson on (insert lesson topic)” or “How do I deal with (insert awkward situation)”. Suggestions from educators from around the world are only seconds away for those who engage in the use of social media.

2.  Positivism - Professional development using social media for educators is inherently positive. The vast majority of educators participating are looking to help others and provide information. Negative comments and negativity in general are not accepted. Educators engaging in social media are willing to help or lead you in the right direction and at the same time be positive. It’s a great learning and sharing environment.

3. We Are Here To Learn – Educators on social media are educators. There is little interest in title or status. Although we will list them in our bio’s or introduce ourselves during a chat with a title, they matter very little. The reason why they are irrelevant is simply because we are there to learn, help, assist, give and get guidance, provide resources, and generally move education forward. Everyone has something to add and everyone has something to learn in the educational world on social media.

A positive, global learning environment that finds value in all of its participants should excite educators and encourage them to get involved. This is what social media does for educators around the world. Help a colleague find that excitement. Show them the value of using social media.

6 Emergency Enhancements to Technology

Tags

Facebook, Technology, Twitter

We are now going on two weeks since Hurricane Sandy slammed parts of the east coast and a day since Nor’easter Athena added insult to injury. The recovery from these two events will be weeks in some areas and years in others. As the recovery progresses it is also a time to assess and make recommendations for better technology preparedness. Here are 6 recommendations for emergency enhancements to technology for moving us all forward and better preparing for the next event:

For the smartphone manufacturers and software developers:
1. Increase battery life on the smartphones. There is absolutely no reason why a smartphone’s battery doesn’t last for more than 24 hours. If you can not increase the life of the battery go back to the old way of giving us the ability to buy extra batteries and a battery charger so we can remove the dead battery and put in a freshly charged one. I remember having a battery charger for an old phone of mine and would bring the spare with me. Today the phone is sealed and you can’t get access to the battery. 
2. Develop a switch that automatically toggles off all apps draining the battery and immediately converts the phone into two uses: phone and text. Yes, we Tweet and use Facebook and every other form of social media. But in emergencies we need to be able to have the ability to cut all the power to those apps and save it for the emergency call or contact. If the phone software developers can not develop this I’m sure some twelve year old will develop an app and sell it on iTunes  within a week of this post. Just give me credit and 10 cents per app sold and we can call it even!!!
3. Develop and sell, at no additional cost, quick charging cords for home and cars. My car became the largest and most consistent phone charger but I had to spend lots of time in the car to assure I had enough battery life. 

For social media:
4. There should be some consistency with the hashtag being used on Twitter for an emergency. For this storm there was #Frankenstorm, #Sandy, #HurricaneSandy and others. If the weather channel can now name winter storms, then please provide the hashtag. The information being provided through social media was outstanding but at times it was difficult to track with the different hashtags for the same event. 
5. A number of new Facebook pages sprung up to provide information, support and resources during the storm. They were outstanding resources. However, we can not forget that for users engaging this resource there comes great responsibility. Weather events of this magnitude require accurate information with personal opinions left for another time. So many times during the storm great information was being posted but it was sandwiched between personal comments or inappropriate statements. 

For the good old phone company:
6. Years ago when the power went out your phone still worked. This was because your phone was hardwired to the house and was not reliant on a server or the cable company. Now the power goes out and so does your house phone. This is a dangerous situation. The phone company or cable company needs to look into ways of improving this situation. A battery back-up that lasts for 6 hours is not the answer. 

It’s important to assess and make recommendations after every emergency situation. The above are focused on technology and how a major storm with long term recovery can affect our ability to communicate, provide assistance and recover. Technology is wonderful, I can not live without it, but in tough times we need to have it functional. Feel free to add to my list by commenting on this blog.