Strategy for Collaborative Learning

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I recorded this podcast a few weeks ago, but I have sat on it for that long in order to mull everything over for a while.

The topic for this podcast is all about how we enumerate the exact needs found within the classroom that would require us to be collaborative and use tools like Google Docs, Wikis or Blogs. Many of us feel as though these needs are self-evident, but in the face of resistance, we need to be able to write them out and share them with others.

I will let the psudo-rant speak for itself, but I would like to repeat the question/s that I ask at the end:

What do you believe the needs are for a collaborative learner that would lead you to using Google Apps? What was the needs analysis that you underwent that led you to believe that a collaborative space was necessary?

(This sounds like a ridiculous question, but I think that it actually gets at a small portion of Karl Fisch’s much larger and better questions, found here.)

What Happens Next Year?

I am very worried about what is going to happen to my students when they leave me at the end of this school year. Not because I think that they won’t be able to handle to rigors of high school life, but rather because I think that they won’t be able to handle going back to a traditional classroom. I wonder what the transition will be like when they know that collaborative tools exist, but they aren’t allowed to use them for school. Will they revolt? Will they create change? Or, will they just take it as another in a long string of disappointments from their learning institutions.

• 00:00:00: Introduction to My Father’s Question
  Heart Rhythm Society

• 00:01:24: Next Year?
  Highlands Ranch High School

• 00:02:39: How my students learn best.
• 00:05:13: Students as Better Teachers
  November Learning

• 00:07:11: Transition as Change
• 00:08:27: Backwards in Teaching or Learning
• 00:10:14: Conclusion to Next Year…
  The Podcast Digg Page

Remixing The Classroom

One of my students came up with an amazing metaphor for how intellectual property should work in the classroom and in greater society. She described the idea that remixing should be like cake making. You buy all of the ingredients and then can prepare any kind of cake you like. Once you have the cake, however, you can’t un-remix it and get back to the sugar and flour. You can also borrow sugar from a neighbor, but generally you give them credit when you are serving your delicious cake. I hope that this podcast outlines such a metaphor a little bit better, but I think that this is the metaphor for creating connections that I was looking for a few podcasts back. If you like this podcast, I recommend the Great Remix Debate. You can also digg this podcast at http://digg.com/podcasts/Discourse_about_Discourse_Educasts_by_Ben_Wilkoff

• 00:00:00: Introduction to Carcast
  Podcast Blog

• 00:01:11: The Great Remix Debate Recap
  The Great Remix Debate Podcast

• 00:01:55: The Cake Metaphor
  Rockinwithacdc12′s Blog

• 00:04:32: The Classroom Remix
• 00:08:06: A Standard for Classroom Creation
• 00:09:41: Conclusion
  My Blog

What does support look like in School 2.0?

Support is such an essential part of education, but many of us who are looking ahead to a technologically rich educational experience sometimes forget this. Because we are savvy, we expect others (including our students) to be savvy. I created this podcast in order to flesh out a few of the ways that we can support teachers who want to transition to School 2.0. The basic points that I came up with were:
1. All teachers need an aggregator starter pack.
2. School 2.0 must be framed in terms (and using tools) that most teachers understand.
3. Small groups of teachers must conduct relevant research within the specific school before many teachers will buy in.
4. School 1.0 teachers should engage in assessing School 2.0 products from the small group’s classrooms as a way of transitioning into a more collaborative model.

I have also decided to start including the chapter information and links as part of the show notes for those of you who do not have access to a podcatcher that recognizes enhanced podcasts.

# 00:00:00: Outdated Paper?
Dave Cormier’s Blog (http://www.davecormier.com/edblog/)

# 00:02:04: How does support look in School 2.0?
School 2.0 Wiki (http://school20.wikispaces.com)

# 00:04:20: An Aggregator Starter Pack
Netvibes (http://www.netvibes.com)

# 00:06:16: RSS as Support
xFruits (http://www.xfruits.com)

# 00:08:32: Framing collaboration
Ourtenwords.org (http://www.ourtenwords.org)

# 00:12:20: Collaboration Take 2
# 00:13:35: Supporting Relevant Research
Terry Freedman (http://www.terry-freedman.org.uk/db/web2/)

# 00:15:16: Flat Classroom Assessment
The Flatclassroom Project Wiki (http://flatclassroomproject.wikispaces.com)

# 00:16:50: Summary and Conclusion
My blog (http://yongesonne.edublogs.org)

What Myspace can teach us about School 2.0

This podcast was brought about because of the classroom discussion that my eighth graders had about what a terrible affect Myspace can have on their lives. I wanted to start brainstorming a school-sponsored space that we could substitute for Myspace that would be an extension of the classroom. This space would have the ability to connect students over academic interests as well as personal interests. It would allow for photo sharing and digital storytelling within these photos. Primarily, however, this space would allow students to comment on everything. Each element of the space (a module) would have a feedback form, so students would get comments about their school notes, their podcasts, their blog posts, their beliefs, and their photos. I can’t think of anything that would engage students more than being able to get specific feedback on all of the important aspects of their lives, and to do it all in an environment that wouldn’t allow the inflammatory remarks that are a systematic part of Myspace. Let me know what you think of this idea and its feasibility at benjamin.wilkoff@dcsdk12.org or http://yongesonne.edublogs.org

Teacher-Proof Teaching

I created this podcast because I was frustrated with the way our vision of education seems to conflict with the reality of education. I know that the administration at my school wants only what is best for kids. I do not have any doubts in their abilities as leaders. Yet, I do wonder if every “education movement” we fall prey to is good for our school. This podcast takes a critical look at current educational practices, and is therefore both different from and similar to my other podcasts.