Is Social Media Just About the Bandwagon?

The other day I responded to a discussion on Linked-In on the topic of social media – the questions was, should employees be allowed access to social media during work hours. Here is my comment: “It depends on what they are using it for. The same could be said for using a phone or a copy machine or the internet - what are they using it for? Most employees, at one time or another, use these tools for personal reasons. If there is a problem, it is usually centered on that employee, not the availability of the tool.”   (It kills me that I ended two sentences with prepositions!!)

I do a great deal of my learning via social media.  I would likely not be able to do my job effectively without it.  So, I am of the mind that social media is a good thing.  But, as you might imagine, there are many who do not agree.  That’s okay. Not every situation calls for social media or even any technology at all – if you have been in one of my classes, you have heard me say that technology is not always the best tool to use for the job, it’s just one.   I say this to show you I think I have a practical view of where technology and social media fit.

I have actually been thinking quite a lot about this whole social media topic recently.  I am researching a new class I am doing this summer on digital portfolios/social resumes – NOT your mother’s eProtfolio – and the class is all about leveraging social media.  Several thoughts are banging around in my head, such as:

• What do we think of social media?
• Do employers take digital resumes seriously? (I have seen a lot of evidence that they do, but . . . )
• What the heck is social media?
• Do schools need a social media policy? (Most businesses have them . . . )
• Many feel that educators should be developing curriculum, not pop culture, and that is all social media is. 
• Why do we think the only use for social media is pop culture?
• Is social media in schools too much of a distraction?
• Can we help students learn to use these tools professionally - cuz they are all over them personally.
• Can we ignore something that is so ubiquitous?

So, that’s what’s going on in my head right now.  I am trying to visit many sides of the topic. Invite me over!

Just thinkin’
Lee Anne

Are We Any More or Less Comfortable With Technology?

Are we any more or less comfortable with technology?  I have been asking myself this question for the last couple of weeks.  I like to think as educators that we are, that we have seen enough and been exposed enough that we no longer fear the unknown, that it is not unknown.  I also like to think that as educators we understand that it takes time to learn something new. But, gosh, I am not sure. Or am I mistaking fear for frustration – or is it the same thing? Where is the “negative” about technology still coming from?

Recently I did a couple of workshop sessions on social networking tools.  They were short sessions, 45 minutes. So there was not an opportunity to get into the meat of the tools (plus they didn’t have computers), but we would certainly be able to talk about the possibilities and what other educators were doing.  The first session went great.  There was much discussion and sharing.  The questions were positive and insightful. We laughed. We cried. I was blown away. Really.  The second session, however, was not so great – at least I didn’t think so.  I don’t know. Maybe they were hungry since it was right before lunch or they were just over “technologied” or something.  But there was not much about this group that was fun or positive.  It was pretty clear that they were frustrated and kind of angry.  But why?  I had only just walked in the room – been with them maybe 5 minutes.  Surely I had not had a chance to make them angry, yet. 

It all started with the first comment after we watched a short video on the power of technology.  I can’t remember the exact words, but it was along the lines of, “Technology is not necessary and takes up a lot of time.”  I agreed that sometimes, that is the case.  I don’t always need a pen or a book or even a chair to learn.  Think of it as just one tool that is available to you and your students. Trying to get the conversation back to social networking, I mentioned Facebook as a jumping off point. Pretty much everyone in the room had an account or knew what it was.  Facebook is an example of the power of social networking. Imagine having just a part of that energy in a classroom or a school?  They looked intrigued. Yeah!  We were on the right track. 

One participant, however, was not okay with going past this point. He did not have Facebook and felt that this conversation could go no further until he fully understood.  No definition or quick look or description was “okay.”  At one point he commented that if he has one student that doesn’t fully understand, he goes over and over it.  That’s wonderful!  I applaud him, sincerely.  I do that, too, if I can.  But, this is a workshop on social networking on a Saturday morning, and it’s almost lunch time and we are quickly running out of time to talk about social networking tools for educators. I suggested that this class might be a great way to get familiar with terms and start to build a foundation and big picture for this topic. Other students chimed in that understanding all this can’t happen in a day. (Thanks to those wonderful people.)   I could see his frustration building, but without completely turning the class into a Facebook lesson for him, I just couldn’t seem to find a way to get him to relax and just let some things stick to him. I could not convince him that he didn’t need to be able to use this particular tool right now to benefit from the discussion.  There were more, similar sticking points. In fact, he had a whole pocket full of them, such as they just didn't have time for this in class and there was no practical application for them. Anyway, you get the idea.  This teacher was not happy.  And, I don’t think he’s alone, I also want to say.

I am still thinking about this whole event, obviously, and trying to make some sense of it. I am trying to figure out why this wonderful teacher (and I know that he truly is a great teacher) needed to essentially hijack this workshop to find release.  Maybe this was a cut and dry combination case of poisoned well syndrome and too much technology for one day.  The first comment was negative and everyone just went rogue from there.  That is the LAST time I do a workshop right before lunch!!  Toward the end of the workshop, one participant shared about an article he read that said schools won’t be able to afford technology soon and they will have to make a choice between teachers and technology.  Talk about a slippery slope!  How did we get from technology is time consuming to integrate to that machine is taking your job and there is nothing you can do about it. Kill the machine!  Okay, so they weren’t screaming “Kill the Machine” at the end, but you get the idea.

So I am back to my original question:  Are we any more or less comfortable with technology?  

Just Wonderin'
Lee Anne

Quality Matters on The Eighth Floor

Have you heard of Quality Matters? That’s okay, many have not. If you teach online or think you might be teaching online or work with people who teach online or do absolutely anything to do with anything teaching online – you definitely will be hearing about it.

Quality Matters is a nationally recognized program that is designed to certify that online and blended courses meet researched design standards as defined by the QM Rubric. http://www.qmprogram.org/about  

Mere Mortal English Translation: These people got a wicked big grant and did a lot of research and came up with some design standards that can be used to build and shape online courses – to make them work really good. They created a rubric that is periodically updated to make the whole process easier. http://www.qmprogram.org/rubric . What I like is that this process is faculty/peer-centered – meaning the conversations and evaluations come from your peers. This is not an evaluation of the teacher or teaching methods. This is a set of standards we can apply to the design of online courses. The focus is on alignment of learning objectives with activities and assessment. Additionally, I don’t feel that the rubric crushes creativity, individuality, or spontaneity. Double additionally, schools can evaluate classes internally or invite external QM trained peer-reviewers for a stamp of approval from QM.  I’m a fan!

Until recently Quality Matters has focused primarily on Higher Ed. There is now a Grades 6-12 Rubric. http://www.qmprogram.org/g6-12-rubric-standards-0 . As more and more K-12 schools offer online alternatives and standards based classes, this is available none too soon.

Through the Eighth Floor, I work with many of the Higher Ed and K-12 institutions in the Tulsa area. As online teaching and learning grow out of the early years, I see these institutions now looking for ways to find consistency online and a set of standards that will hopefully improve learning and retention. This is a struggle similar to face-to-face classes, but the online environment presents as many unique challenges and it does unique opportunities. We have learned that we can’t teach exactly the same way online that we teach F2F. The same goes for best practices in course design. We had to come up with a new way to look at online classes that guarantees more successful.

So . . . in rides the Quality Matters gang on their gleaming white rubrics. Yeehaw! I jest, but the reality is they really are almost super heroes. I have been running across this QM Rubric for years – encountered it in several courses I have taken in my quest to know more about the online world and have included it at a certain level in the Online Learning Series. The more I know about it, the more it makes sense to me. By the end of this month, I hope to be a certified QM trainer. I say “I hope” because the courses for trainers are HARD and not for the casual learner, not even a little bit.

This begs the question, why am I even getting certified . . . and I hope you are also asking what this has to do with you? There is now a growing statewide Quality Matters consortium here in Oklahoma, started by Dr. Dana Lindon-Burgett from Rose State – you may remember Dana as one of the facilitators in the Online Learning Series here on The Eighth Floor for several years. If you want to know more about the Oklahoma Consortium, contact Dana, dlindon@rose.edu  . AND, she’s great at explaining all this stuff.

Here is our list of current (and growing) affiliates in alphabetical order: 

1. Francis Tuttle Technology Center
2. Northeastern State University
3. Oral Roberts University
4. Rose State College
5. Southwestern Oklahoma State University
6. Tulsa Community College
7. Tulsa Technology Center

I am getting certified as a QM trainer so we can offer training here on The Eighth Floor for QM consortium members in this part of the state. Some of the Higher Ed institutions are looking at offering online faculty a six hour training course on using the QM rubric. I imagine, without being required, that many faculty will be interested. I’ve taken it and it was worth the time. This short course was not challenging in the way I describe the trainers’ courses. I found this course to be quite enlightening. It helped me understand the QM rubric and get some practice applying it.

If you are teaching online, especially if you have been doing it for several years, Quality Matters will likely pique your interest. It has helped me see online instruction and course design from a variety of different perspectives. Plus, it’s got a good beat and it’s easy to dance to.

Here is a current list of QM Rubric Training courses this spring semester. Classes are open to members of the statewide consortium. These are all day workshops – but it goes quickly. If there is interest, we are happy to add more classes at The Eighth Floor! Contact Dana Lindon-Burgett for enrollment information dlindon@rose.edu .  

• Jan 11 Rose State
• Feb 11 Rose State
• March 4 Rose State
• March 25 Eighth Floor
• April 8 Rose State

Just Sharin’ 
Lee Anne

WHO IS 'HOGGING' THE INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARD IN YOUR CLASSROOM?

This article from Tech & Learning got me to thinkin'. (That is not so easy at this point in the semester.) http://www.techlearning.com/blogs/34792 .



The author, Daniel Rezac, discusses the issue of teachers "hogging" the interactive whiteboard in their classrooms. Students rarely get to touch them.

"Think of it: how often did teachers let students actually write on the chalk board? The overhead projector? The fact is, there's only one Interactive White Board per classroom, and there may be 25 or more students. There is never going to be enough time in one class period to let everyone have-at-it on the white board. Nobody ever heard of a 1-1 white board environment. That would be awfully expensive. Maybe we're going about this all wrong."

Rezac is not all talk. He actually offeres up some solutions for this "hogging" issue.

On the Eighth Floor, we are all about the integration of technology. It's what we do. I wonder if we are sometimes so focused on the teacher that we forget about the student. And by that I ALSO mean, I wonder if we are forgetting to let our Eighth Floor students "touch the board."  

Just thinkin'
Lee Anne

When we say “Online Class” – What does that mean to you?



Eight Floor Moodle Site

There are so many possibilities for the structure and format of a class, both online and face-to-face. When it comes to the Eighth Floor, you pretty much know that when you come to a class, you will likely sit at a computer and participate in active learning. Some of our classes are closer to a lecture/workshop format, but most are hands on a computer. But what about an online class? Besides knowing you are going to use your own computer, what do you think you are going to do in a class that meets online?

Although we have been offering the Online Learning Series for several years (a class that teaches teachers to teach online), we have just begun offering some new regular Eighth Floor classes online, such as Grant Writing 2, Crash Course in Copyright, Cyberbullying, Strategies and Tools for Delivering Online Content, and a new one for spring, Building Learning Communities. We are finding that each person comes with his or her own expectations and that is probably because no one knows exactly what to expect. Fair enough. Online learning is still in its “pre-teen-hood,” so there is room for variety, change, and growth still to come. Many of our consortium members have not taken an online class before, and some who have did not take very good ones. That means many people are not familiar with this kind learning environment. Again, fair enough. Let’s talk about it.

We like to think we have the whole teaching/learning online thing down. The reality is we learn something new with every attempt to teach an online class – just like we did when we were new to the F2F classroom.

We have decided on a general format for our Eighth Floor online classes.

• Most online classes earn 12 hours of professional development. We design our classes to be about a week and a half long since we figure most people can find about an hour a day to participate in the class (this would be equal to attending a six – ten hour F2F class).
• We want participants to be active participants in their own learning – it’s best that way!  
• Classes are meant to be interactive – NOT self-paced. That means you will be involved in class discussions and projects.
• We try to provide a variety of information. This gives participants the opportunity to explore the topic further or drill deeper depending on their interests.
• We try to keep content delivery simple and concise.
• To earn a certificate of completion, participants need only participate with interest in all discussions or activities for that class – you can usually count on a new topic every couple of days.
• We try to make sure participants have 2-3 days to complete each discussion or activity.

For some people, this sounds like a big time commitment – really, it’s not! Do the math. What it is is an opportunity to learn at your own speed but at the same time as others so that there is an exchange of information and resources. This allows for a real learning community!

Moodle Meets the Eighth Floor!

We are using our own Moodle site now for our learning management system. http://mdl01.eighthfloor.net/ . Having our own Moodle site means we can share! If you are interested in testing or holding a class or course component for your students in our Eighth Floor Sandbox, let me know.

Just Sharin'
Lee Anne

The Eighth Floor is Building a Cyber Cafe

The Eighth Floor is building a cyber café. Scott has been chronicling the construction progress on our Ning site. http://eighthfloor.ning.com/ Check out the pictures. It should be finishce by the start of classes on September 20th. We are pretty excited about it, but I bet you are saying, “What does that really mean and how is this good for me?” Good questions! And, guess what? I have some good answers.

What does this really mean?

We won’t be serving lattes or muffins, but you can always find coffee on The Eighth Floor and sometimes Norma brings in some amazing baked goods she is more than happy to share. You will have a place to enjoy our epic view of Tulsa. You will be able to work on a laptop at a counter in a comfortable chair that Norma took great care in picking out. (She test drove A LOT of chairs!) You will be able to visit with others, either from your school or other districts or learning levels. Essentially, you can just hang out. You might even see an impromptu technology slam. (Are you trying to imagine what that would look like? Geeks don’t write poetry.)

Why is this good for me?

Okay, so, why is just hanging out good for you? On the surface it may seem like wasting time. But assuming that would be a mistake. Consider what you know about informal learning. In my estimation, this is where the lion’s share of learning happens – between the lines of formal /structured education. I have seen more problems solved, more ideas shared in the 2 minutes at the end of a break than sometimes in a whole day of “class.” Some call this just in time learning. In a culture where we want only the information we need when we need it, what better place to throw together an on-the-spot learning community.

And I care about learning communities because . . . .

The Eighth Floor is the perfect hub for your professional learning communities. Notice I said “communities” – plural. The reality is we can’t survive with just one learning community anymore, the one that for many teachers only consisted of the other teachers in your hallway or those who office around you. Now, you can create communities online for your whole school, your district, your state, for a specific subject, specific project . . . you get the idea. We have been relying on learning communities (or networks) all our lives. So really, we have been relying on informal learning all our lives. Learning communities might even be more important than food. Go ahead. Try to get through a day without a single instance of informal learning.

Please don’t starve yourself or vow to spend the entire day interacting with only inanimate objects. Just trust me on this one and come up the Eighth Floor and simply hang out. It is quite possible you will learn something.

Just Sayin’
Lee Anne

Best Summer Ever!

I must say, this has been a very good summer at the Eighth Floor...and it's not even over yet.  We've seen 1000+ teachers, support staff, and administrators roll through our offices since the Summer session began.  The virtual email bag was bursting at the seams with enrollments.  As a result, we had to add offerings in August to accomodate the load.  With less than two weeks left in the session, we are looking at a record attendance for the consortium.

Out of this group we have seen many returning (we don't want to say old, do we) faces and new.  The Eighth Floor has welcomed many new districts into the fold this Summer.  You may have noticed this when you turned to the teacher next to you in a class.  The result of this is that many of you were able to network with old and new friends and in the process gain knowledge from not only what we have to offer, but from each other.  In my opinion, informal learning is a very beneficial part of the experience here.  Regardless of whether you are a K-12, Tech, or Higher Ed educator, there is always something new to learn from your peers. 

Hopefully, this summer has been a chance for many of you to re-charge.  I remember taking classes before I became an instructor with the Eighth Floor, and in addition to the new information I gained, I remember that feeling - that somehow I had been rebooted and was ready to go again in the Fall.  There is always something new on the Eighth Floor to help you re-charge. 

We have been fortunate that we have been able to add many new classes to our offerings this Spring and Summer.  One favorite is the SMART Subject-Specific  class we now offer.  If you get a chance, check out our Teacher Spotlight showcasing some of your fellow teachers and the SMARTBoard lessons they created during these sessions. The Google Workshop had a great turnout, as Scott and Lee Anne covered "everything Google".  Cyberbullying, Ed Tech II, Tech Tips for National Board Certification, Grant Writing - all of these classes as well as the rest were full and had great things to offer.

If you missed seeing us this Summer (we missed you)  we still have several classes and a few special offerings (Teaching All Kinds of Minds, Teaching with Moodle) left this Summer.  We'll also see some changes occurring to the look of the Eighth Floor, so stay tuned....    

Citizen Journlism is Growing Up!

For years I have been fascinated by the opportunities the read/write web affords the average citizen – the greatest of that being a voice. I know I say this all the time, but think about it. Really. ANYONE with access to the internet can make a difference – locally or globally. And, it looks like YouTube is making this seriously easier, and still again even more easier, perhaps even the most easiest.

(Have you noticed an image change for YouTube since they are now a Google tool?)

So, check this out. I was, of course, attracted/distracted by this shiny article at Social Times called YouTube and the Future of Citizen Journalism. What’s happening is the world of citizen journalism is being validated and slightly formalized in what looks to be a respectable way. Did you know there was a CitizenTube? http://www.citizentube.com/ I did not. I think I may have heard/read about it somewhere, but it didn’t stick. Here’s how they describe themselves on their site: “CitizenTube is a feed of the latest breaking news videos on YouTube. If you've uploaded or discovered news footage, please tweet it to us (@citizentube) with as much context as you're able to provide.”

YouTube has also launched YouTube Direct. You can submit videos, interviews, digital pictures, etc. Here’s how they explain themselves on their site: “ [YouTube is] a great opportunity for organizations to leverage this online activity for video campaigns, coverage, or programming initiatives - but many find it difficult to connect directly with YouTube's community in a simple, effective way. We've just made that a lot easier with YouTube Direct.” My first thought is school news station that runs on the website. Could that work?

Anyway, bottom line as I see it is, things are happening in the area of citizen journalism that I see as a boundless arena of opportunity for our students and us. Whatever it is you are teaching – or whatever it is your students are learning – could be making the news. Additionally, being able to report on what is happening around them can help students see their connection to their local community as well as the whole big wide world. What do YOU think?

Just thinkin’
Lee Anne

What About Blogs? - Summer 2010

What About Blogs?

Welcome to the Eighth Floor class about blogging in education - June 2010
A collaborative and constructive tool, blogs have found their place in education. As educators, we are using them as learning tools not only for our students, but also for ourselves. Our objectives for this short workshop are to become familiar with blogs as a Web 2.0 tool, explore uses for your classroom or professional development, and set up a practice blog of your own.

Blogs in Plain English
Lee LeFever of the Common Craft Show



So What’s a Blog?
Let the 6 & 7 year olds from Room 9 at Nelson Central School educate you about what they think a blog is and why they love using them!


Top 10 Reasons to Use a Blog in the Classroom



Education Professional Development Blogs
Weblogg-ed - A blog by Will Richardson
Moving at the Speed of Creativity - A blog by Wesley Fryer
Blog of Proximal Development - a blog by Konrad Glogowski
Blogs about Educational Blogging - a wiki by Support Blogging.com

Classroom/Student Blogs
Mrs. Arnold's Class (2nd grade)
Mrs. Fine's Fouth Grade Gate
Elementary Writing
High School Sports Blog
Arthus - NewlyAncient (high school student blog)
AP Calculus AB (An interactive log for students and parents in my AP Calculus class. This ongoing dialogue is as rich as YOU make it. Visit often and post your comments freely.)
The Good Habits Blog (blog for students and teachers)
Mrs Cassidy's Classroom Blog (elementary)
Blogical Minds (This is a blog created to explore what happens when 5th graders blog and converse about literacies in class and beyond)

Google Search for Blogs
http://blogsearch.google.com/?hl=en&tab=wb

Check out the following education/safety focused postings and articles:
MySpace Education
Change Agency
BlogSafety.com
Blogs, Fair Use, and Paying to Play

Blogging Tips and Tricks:
Science Blogs in Middle and HS classrooms
Web Blog Basics
Blogs - Anatomy
Blogs for Learning
Evaluating Blogging
Blogging Best Practices
Top 10 Blog Writing Tips
Use of Blogs in an Online College Classroom

Let’s Talk About Blogs

• How is a blog different from a website?
• How is blogging different from other types of writing or online communication?
• Why do you think you or your students might be attracted to this as a form of expression?
• How might you use a blog in your classroom or for your professional development?
• What obstacles might you face using blogs with your students?
• The first step to being a good blogger is to be a good blog ____________?

__________________________________________________________
QUESTION!
Since this is a class about blogging, we thought you might want to do a little, well, blogging. So, what are some advantages to using blogs? What are some disadvantages? What can you do to minimize the disadvantages? ___________________________________________________________
Add your comment to this post.

Take a minute to think about the above questions. (Or share something else, if you choose, like an idea you already have for using blogs) Click on the "comments" link below and then type your answer. You can comment as "anonymous or other." Be sure to include your name somewhere so we know who you are. Read others’ comments and feel free to comment on their comments!

Thanks!
Lee Anne

Building Personal Learning Networks: Can you Identify the Top People in your Area?

Personal learning networks. What a great thing. I can have a network that is all about Web 2.0 or digital literacy or the bands I like to see on the weekends. I can create a network for just about anything I want to learn more about or stay on top of.

What got me thinking about this? . . . Will Richardson's post Pulling Networks Together. It’s about a set of five questions that are intended to get readers thinking deeply about their passions and about the connections they form around them. More specifically, his first question got my attention: "1. Can you identify the fifty smartest or most accomplished people who share your passions or interests, regardless of where they reside? "

To me, it seems if I can identify these people then I can have the "mac-daddyest" learning community ever - right at my fingertips.

So, my question to you is, can you identify these people? Who are they?

Just Thinkin'

Lee Anne