Monthly Archives: November 2011

Nov 16 2011

OTR Links 11/16/2011

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

By dougpete • Posted in Links
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Nov 15 2011

A Good Storm

It was like a perfect storm.

I was reading content from two ladies that I had incredible respect for.  First, it was Angela Harrison who was actually weighing in on an iPad versue Netbook discussion.  She sided on the iPad side of things and one of the big reasons was her network at school.  If she used the board supplied computers attached to the school network, she claims that just booting computers can take between 8 and 10 minutes.  That’s not an uncommon scenario for school computers that are attached to a Local Area Network and then a Wide Area Network.  In the interests of security, often these networks are built on systems that are imaged, locked down, user login authenticated, etc.  It’s not that this is a bad idea – it’s based upon the premise that the end users are hackers or vandals and so the system has to be built to withstand the onslaught of these people.  She points out that primary students just don’t have the patience to wait for booting and then logins.  But, it’s not just the primary students; everyone including older students and teachers have their patience tested as data slowly comes across the magic wire or even more magic wireless.  Ironically, I’ve noticed that primary classrooms can devise strategies to handle this better that others in the school.  A typical use might be to have one or two computers positioned in a centre and the application being used doesn’t need a unique student login.  It’s not uncommon to see primary teachers who are at school at the crack of dawn, it seems, boot the computers and do a login while they go about the myriad of other preparations that are necessary for the days learning experiences.

Regardless, it’s a whole process that is not what you would expect from a typical computer experience.

Of course, the problem revisits itself when the actual application is loaded as time again is involved.  Lessons are even better if a single application can be loaded before the students arrive as well.  Angela makes excellent points in her defense of selecting the iPad that she can download and install individual applications to do what she needs done.  For the most part, no login or password or email address is required.

Then, this morning, Jane Hart released her summary of the top 100 tools for 2011.  As I flipped through the Slideshare of these learning tools, I think that 96 or so of them were familiar.  There was a nice collection of multi-purpose tools and some that were specific for single use.

The common thread to both readings, for me, was the simplicity that each offered.  No policies to be created, tested, and deployed.  It was nothing but getting to an app and get it running.  In both cases, I could see a rather straight line path that takes you from the keyboard to the application that’s needed.  The iPad already comes with its desktop; the other solution is web based that could easily be handled with a new tab in Chrome or Firefox by itself or by using a custom desktop launcher like Symbaloo or Tizmos.  All that one needs is a connection to the internet and you’re there.

In Ontario, educators have access to a wide variety of Ministry of Education licensed applications.  Even if an image was based solely on these products, you’ll have over a hundred applications that have to be perfectly installed and then live somewhere on a hard drive or a server.  Chances are, the operating system of choice is Windows XP which can be tweaked, but still takes a while just to load!  Thankfully, Microsoft is encouraging people to move to a more contemporary operating system for security and speed.  Windows 7 is a speed demon compared to XP and Windows 8 promises to be even better.

Both reads this morning really do help affirm that the classroom computer paradigm is changing.  Even OSAPAC is leading the way.  Witness the recent licensing of web-based services like Naxos, Bitstrips for Schools, and the National Film Board resources.  They allow for immediate use of the application rather than waiting for the next installation cycle.  And, there’s nothing to go wrong with the installation – you just need to have a contemporary web browser and you’re on your way.

Such a change in philosophy opens the door for:

  • true Bring Your Own Device because you’re not using commercial, locally installed software;
  • a shift in thinking about what portable means – getting away from computer labs and technology to the point of instruction;
  • existing equipment may actually last longer as it’s not made antiquated by newer software;
  • Windows, Macintosh, Linux, iOS, WebOS, QNX, Android – who cares – we are the web;
  • desktop, laptop, netbook, pad, phone – it doesn’t matter as much as it used to;
  • realistic electronic access to school workspaces from at home.

Sometimes, it takes a good storm to clean up the old debris.

Nov 15 2011

OTR Links 11/15/2011

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

By dougpete • Posted in Links
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Nov 14 2011

Retro Computing

Today’s post brings a tear to the eye.  Retro computer advertisements.  For all you 21st Century learners, there were indeed, computers before iPads….

How many readers remember…

  • penril modems;
  • digi-log systems;
  • when 16K of RAM was enormous;
  • 80MB for under $12,000;
  • Technico Inc;
  • Honeywell;
  • Issac Asimov flogging colour computers;
  • Tandy 2000;
  • Introduction of Microsoft Excel;
  • Elvira flogging paper-less solutions?

Image courtesy of Retronaut

Check out all of the advertising and have a smile here:  http://www.retronaut.co/2011/09/we-call-it-a-penril-modem/

Teachers, as you meet your students today, remind them that there was life before Angry Birds!

Nov 14 2011

OTR Links 11/14/2011

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

By dougpete • Posted in Links
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Nov 13 2011

21st Century Skills

With a title like that, I’m sure that this posting will draw all kinds of readers.

I guess that it started on January 1, 2000.  The world as we know it was going to end.  Systems that relied on computers were going to fail because the computer wouldn’t be able to handle the rollover in date.  I could just see my Southern Hemisphere friends lying on the beach watching as all of our furnaces, electricity, and so much more failed because of this.  As we know now, this situation was rectified with some patches and life goes on.

In addition to this situation, when the clock struck midnight, the world welcomed a new set of skills for education and society.  In education, we are slow to adopt so in the year 2011 we’re still talking about the need to develop 21st Century Skills for ourselves and our students.

Recently, I had a conversation with an educator who was going on about 21st Century Skills and I guess I rudely interrupted and asked “Name One”.  There was a pause and then the first answer was “Curation”.  When pressed, it was about the ability to find and collect resources.  So, I guess it’s the new skill formerly known as “Bookmarking”.

OK, then how about Critical Thinking?  Certainly, this is an important skill.  If you’re 11 or younger and reading this blog, first of all, welcome and enjoy the new world of thinking critically.  The rest of us who researched and wrote essays before January 1, 2000 just didn’t put much thought into it, I guess.

Well, you know what I mean.  Collaboration – students working together so that the sum of the parts is greater than the contribution of any individual.  Uh huh!  I guess those rearrangement of tables in math class or late night coffee and work sessions in the MC Lounge were just goof-off sessions.

Blogging?  Wikis?  Twitter?  Facebook?  The conversation just kept going and going.

Eventually, we stepped back and took a look at where this particular conversation was headed and came to agreement on a number of things.  Most importantly, good teaching is good teaching.  It involves grabbing the best of breed pedagogies and incorporating the technology where it is appropriate.  It’s this appropriateness that is so important.  Trivial use of technology is worse than not using it at all.  Using it where appropriate can be so powerful.

I drew in the concept of gaming in education.  Not necessarily just the playing of the game but also in the creation of the game.  My first experience dealt with a game called Zork.  I’m not sure that it would capture the imagination of players today with its command line interface and the need for an imagination to picture in your mind’s eye just what was happening.  But, it was the best game in town.  In fact, you can still play it online.  In the computer science classroom, my students wrote their own games.  It required massive working together strategies – mapping out virtual universes, parsing instructions, applying the instructions to the present location…

But time and sophistication moved on.  With a simple instruction like inkey$, you no longer had to be able to wait for an instruction and then the enter key to make things happen.  You could scan the keyboard, read a key press, and take an action based upon it.  Games became more sophisticated with things like Doom leading the way.  Our games became more entertaining because we were able to do other things not previously possible.

I recall seeing the Apple Lisa at a MACUL conference.  Wow, this could change everything from the use of higher resolution graphics to a pointing device.  This could change everything.  But, it was the beginning, of course and things got better, with better graphics and better input devices from sophisticated mouses to trackpads to joysticks and now to present day devices like Kinect.

But, does a better input device create a new skill?  I argued no.  The underlying skills of problem solving, design, and understanding the end user are absolutely the key for success.  You also need to look at it with your 2011 eyes.  It’s the possibilities, the sophistication, the power that technology delivers including the chance for enhanced connections.

We then revisited the original topics – curating, critical thinking, collaboration.  We did agree that all of these concepts are important but also that their use is amplified by the use of the best technology at hand.  We can always write but now we can write for a wider audience.  We can do group work and group projects but now have better tools for creation and sharing and connections beyond belief.  We can do research but now have access to better resources and need to determine which are worthy of our efforts.  We can work on things like the environment or other issues of social good, not because the concepts are new but because we have incredible tools to do so much more.

There, I just had to get it off my chest.  Bottom line – don’t sit next to me at an airport and talk 21st Century Skills!

Nov 13 2011

OTR Links 11/13/2011

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

By dougpete • Posted in Links
0
Nov 12 2011

My Takeaways from the Partners in Learning Global Summit

There really is no place like home for blogging.  For the past week, at the Microsoft Partners in Learning Global Summit in Washington, I’ve been blogging from a hotel room or hotel lobby.  It just feels more comfortable to be back in my chair, dog at my feet, and a decent cup of coffee.  At times, I think I’m the only person in the world who doesn’t like Starbucks coffee and there was little other choice the past week,

I had been putting off talking about the keynote messages until I got a chance to really think about the importance of what I’d heard.  Instead, I had commented on the exhibits that I had seen.  It was really easy to be inspired to comment on those as they happen.  For the keynote addresses and the individual meetings with Microsoft leaders, I took copious notes and recorded things for future reference on my Livescribe pen.

Here are some of my takeaways from the event…

*  Live@EDU – I had a chat with people who use Macintosh computers and have never delved into the world of Windows.  They were not even aware that this free offering, including SkyDrive was even available.  We created accounts for them in our work sessions in the lobby and they were quite impressed.

*  Microsoft Leaders are very friendly and willing to talk about anything.  Over the course of the event, I had a chance to interview Lauren Woodman, Anthony Salcito, and Sigfried Behrens.  We touched on a number of things including the Partners in Learning program, Microsoft Certification, other operating systems, Social Good, partnerships in the industry, and more.  There is no question that the Partners in Learning is a Microsoft initiative and that there were resources to be applied, but the real power of the program comes from honouring the efforts of high quality educators.  I was quite impressed with their passions and commitment to education.  Their thoughts really helped me frame just what I was experiencing.

*  Teach.gov – At the opening keynote, it was announced that the US Department of Education would be turning this domain over to Microsoft for the company to use it as a vehicle to inspire young people to consider teaching as a profession.  Predictably, I noticed comments from the Twitter community after the announcement complaining about this move.  I wondered out loud if this concern would have been voiced if it had been given to Apple instead.  I really liked the airtime that “American Teacher” got in the viewing at the forum and now on the website.

*  The kids are all right.  All of the exhibits showed some terrific things that are happening in classrooms world-wide.  Those who speak poorly of teachers needed to drop in and see what was happening.  If this didn’t restore your faith in doing things right, I don’t know what would.  I didn’t hear any presenter talk about doing things to get ready for the test but I did hear a great deal about constructing new content, deep research, and critical thinking.  I’ll take those skills anyday.  This press release identifies the winning entries.

*  Computer Science seemed to be the black sheep of the family.  There were a couple of examples of programming like one project that connected Sharepoint to Moodle and a few examples of using Kinect but I didn’t see anything that I would consider hardcore computer programming.  Perhaps I need to challenge my own definition of what Computer Science is.

*  Speaking of this, I need to buy myself a Kinect.  There were some pretty interesting uses of this device as a sensor for input on display.  This is definitely something worth taking the time to learn how to program.

*  Great messages … I missed the presentations on the Monday.  I do understand that Will Richardson was there and certainly Anthony Salcito would have affirmed many of the concepts that Will would have touched upon.  If there was any question that students, teaching, society are different, this was addressed in presentation and just by walking about and seeing what was possible.  For the many that were here, there were many more that weren’t.  We need to celebrate those as well.  We also need to find some way to address the inequities that also exist so that all students have these opportunities.

*  Addressing the Digital Divide – In his opening keynote, Salcito announced a partnership that will provide affordable computers and affordable connectivity plans for those that need assistance getting connected.  I couldn’t help but think that this was such a significant announcement.  It will address the issues in the United States but thinking like this is needed globally.

*  Big History.  This was another “I had no idea moment”.  Dr. David Christian’s keynote on the second day absolutely blew me away.  My recollection of history involved reading, writing and researching, and the odd debate on very closely defined topics.  The approach of “An Introduction to Everything” is so motivating.  And, to make it freely available online?  Count me in when it becomes available.

* The power of connections was so apparent to me as a result of the event.  Upon further reflection, I can’t believe that I was talking to a gentleman about the educational system in Nigeria one moment and then exchanging networking ideas with a person from Macedonia the next.  It was wonderful to see that the idea from Toronto TakingITGlobal is now a substantial partner.  It was absolutely wonderful to talk to educators (albeit some through an interpreter) to hear their big ideas and their directions.

* It was so rewarding to see so many projects around and teachers talking about Social Good.  While some of the projects were whiz-bang in their orientation, so many others were based upon identifying a problem within the community.  Students then use technology to research and create projects so that they get a deeper understanding and hopefully the inspiration to do something about it.

Yes, there were so many things to take away from this event.  Without a doubt, there was a huge Microsoft presence in the projects but if you looked carefully, it wasn’t a prerequisite.  It was about good ideas, good teaching, and a willingness to embrace the future of learning.  Part of any problem in the success of this lies in letting people know about it!  If it wasn’t for my friend Alfred Thompson, I would not have any idea.

I hope that my blog readers are interested enough to dig in to the Partners in Learning website.  While we witnessed some spectacular projects here, I know that there are thousands more just waiting to be discovered.  Next year’s event is in Greece so that might well be the inspiration needed to look into this!

Nov 12 2011

OTR Links 11/12/2011

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

By dougpete • Posted in Links
0
Nov 11 2011

Closing Keynote #PILGF

The closing keynote address for the Partners in Learning Global Forum took place at the Warner Theatre.  Rather than a single keynote, the format included a five speaker panel.  Their focus was to challenge us with Big Ideas for Education.  A challenge is to actually question whether these “21st Century Skills” are the one that we need to pursue.

Before the keynote, a presenter from Intel Corporation laid the framework for the discussion to follow. The transformation model that Intel uses incorporates the aspects of Policy, Curriculum and Assessment, Research and Development, Information Communications Technology and Professional Development as the keys to Education Transformation.  My notes from the panel appear below.

Five Big Ideas for Education


Elise Pearlstein
Using film to drive multidisciplinary learning and social action

  • Trailer for “Last Call at the Oasis” about water
  • No Water, No Future
  • Singapore developed a new way to process water because they needed to be independent from Malaysia for water supplies.  “Newater”
  • Illuminates and informs
  • Simplifies complicated issues
  • Builds emotional connections
  • Sparks awareness and creates visibility
  • File can create change
  • takepart.com/LastCall

Zainab Al-Suwau
Unlocking unprecedented learning opportunities for girls in the Muslim world

  • Talked about growing up in a culture where she dealt with oppression
  • Returned home to open schools
  • Worked on women political and financial empowerment
  • 25% of women in government after election
  • Use youth energy and activism to make change
  • Many people take democracy and freedom for granted

Diana Laufenberg
Experiencing and communicating the power of democracy in action

  • 65% was the highest turnout for an American election
  • Students were sent out to watch the 2008 election
  • Video clips from students reporting in on election day – interview people as they went to the polls – video on YouTube
  • votervoice.wordpress.com

Ninive Calegari
Promoting professionalism of teaching practice to strengthen the next generation of educators

  • Producer of “American Teacher”
  • 826 Valencia – Literacy Non-profit
  • Bring community into support the classroom teacher
  • Good writing is all about hard work
  • Big idea behind this project inspired by “Teachers Have It Easy”
  • Students need to do “Real Things”
  • 62% of teachers have second jobs outside the classroom
  • 9 out of 10 new jobs being created today require a college degree
  • americanteachermovie.org

Kari Stubbs
Sparking student inquiry and engagement through game-based learning

  • brainpop.com
  • Horizon K-12 Report identifies games as important in the next few years
  • Games engage and good ones can be relevant and social
  • Games make it OK to fail and try different strategies
  • Layer of support for teacher available at Brainpop
  • All educational games from Brainpop are free
  • Think both about consumption and creation

What do you think?  Are these big issues in education for you?  Are there other issues that you would add to the list?

Great pictures of some of the teachers with their exhibits are available on Microsoft’s Flickr page.