Learning This Week

Not surprisingly, reading the blog posts via my Google reader this week has been educational. Of particular note was this post from Karl Fisch in which he discussed, in part, how the staff of one school was able to move from an acceptable use policy to a responsible use policy as a result of powerful learning practices.

Tom Barrett blogs regularly about the integration of all kinds of great technology in his classroom. Tom is moving his blog to a new location that promises to continue his fine spirit of sharing. If you are not a subscriber to Tom's blog, now is the time. If you are, you will want to note the address of his new blog.

I've spent some time this week exploring more of the tools and capabilities of Weebly, a really great Web 2.0 tool for building web sites. For a great example of the way one teacher has established an interactive web presence via Weebly, should look around Ms. Shields' Class. While it is a real work in progress at present, Susan and I have a Weebly site that will be incorporated in an upcoming class, Tech Toolbox: Matching Tools to Tasks.

Virtual Learning Opportunities

GaETC is right around the corner and I plan to attend "on the ground" this year; although I wonder if perhaps it might be my last. While my desire to learn does not wane one iota, I am less and less inclined to travel long distances, geographically speaking of course, to attend face to face conferences. On the other hand, I am increasingly drawn to a growing and viable alternative, online conferences. I particularly like the idea of attending in real virtual time; although my life's work and schedule does not always permit virtual attendance in real time. For example I would very much like to attend the FETC Virtual Conference on October 22, unfortunately I have prior commitments. So I welcome the privilege of exploring the stacks in the virtual archives.

The industry standard for online conferences, to be sure, is the K12 Online Conference. This innovative, dynamic, and informative virtual event will mark its 4th year when it kicks off with pre-conference activities on November 30. In addition to great topics, an overall excellent format, and web presence, the archives from the three previous conferences are available on the web site. The conference is free and open to educators all over the world. Attendees can also earn professional development credits. I look forward to this conference and encourage readers of Tenth Muse to consider attending this year too. Visit the K12 Online Conference web site for more information about this year's theme, presenters, how to earn PLUs, and more.

On a smaller scale, there are other highly relevant, and often free, professional development opportunities available via webinars. I hope to drop in on the Google Apps Education webinar which will be offered at several different times throughout the day. Because 21st century literacy and skills are among my research interests, I am particularly excited about the upcoming webinar 21st Century Skills:What Do They Look Like? I think it will be an hour well spent. What about you? What are your favorite virtual learning opportunities?

Digital Natives in 707

Oh blog how I've missed thee! There is so much I'd like to write about here and so little time do so! One of the things I've wanted to share for a few weeks now is the blog of the Digital Natives in 707. Their teacher, Mrs. Patrice Mills, describes herself as a digital immigrant "morphing into a digital native" and shares my own interest in the changing nature of literacy. So it's always rewarding to learn about what is going on with her and the digital natives in Room 707. In a recent conversation she shared about the writing they've been doing in different etext genres -- no doubt -- txtmel8tr -- was fun, and revealing about the evolving nature of language and communication, writing formally and informally, considering audience and purpose, and more. It's quite clear the digital natives in Room 707 are very lucky to have Mrs. Mills as their lead learner and morphing native. She takes many creative approaches to making new writing genres relevant, and rigorous in her classroom because she really understands why we should teach digital writing!

On rare occasion I am able to drop by their blog and briefly join their conversations. Others will likely enjoy doing the same!

Kudos for Media Projects

This is a great big shoutout for students from several schools in Muscogee County who had winning entries at the 2009 International Student Media Festival. Opportunities for students to meet Georgia performance standards through the development of highly engaging projects are limited only by one's imagination. Teachers looking for a starting place that combines the power of curriculum standards, technology, and higher order thinking, should investigate Bloom's Digital Taxonomy. Once started, encourage students to consider every project a potential winner.

There are many opportunities to showcase students' work with media. In addition to the district media festival, there is the TechKnow Expo, and the Georgia Movie Academy, to name a few. Readers may be interested in attending an informational meeting about the Georgia Movie Academy at 1:30 p.m. on September 23, 2009, at the Rigdon Road Technology Academy.

School web sites, class blogs and wikis are great venues for showcasing student media projects for a global audience. Congratulations Britt David Computer Magnet Academy, Double Churches Middle School, Hannan Academy, Veteran's Memorial Middle School, and Mathews Elementary!

Learning From Experiences of Others

Thank goodness for the power of blogging, and the treasure that lies in our opportunities to read the blogs of others! Evan Abbey blogged recently about Five Frequent Problems with Technology Professional Development. In addition to an excellent description of the five problems, Evan included a great solution. His post included a framework that depicts the ways in which two areas of technology professional development were contextualized. If technology professional development relates in any way to your work, you are sure to gain a great deal from following Evan's blog too.

Rigor, Relevance & Web 2.0

Recently a colleague and I finished a professional development class that incorporated the tenets of the Rigor and Relevance Framework and several Web 2.0 tools. Educators met us in one of the Rigdon Road Technology Academy labs, after school, on two separate evenings. Our collective work was supported before class, between classes, and in days following the second class meeting via email and a blog. The brief slideshow embedded here depicts only a fraction of the hard work and dedication of the great teachers in our class.



Given the time constraints, our focus was on the ways a range of Web 2.0 tools could be used in each of the four quadrants of the Framework. It was a very busy two evenings during which educators from elementary through high school used a mind-mapping tool, Google docs, a blog, TappedIn, and more in the context of the four quadrants of the Framework.

Despite meeting on late evenings, after working all day, we had a great time, made some new friends, and we all learned a great deal too!

Nat'l Day on Writing

The National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE) is sponsoring a National Day on Writing on October 20, 2009. In an era in which too many continue to view writing as the physical act of putting words to paper, NCTE recognizes that 21st century writing involves that and much more. To make this event even more special, NCTE encourages individuals from all walks of life to participate. What a great opportunity to share a multitude of writing samples and have them available to all via a free web archive. Visit this web site for additional information, a free brochure to help spread the word, and several great resources to expand your thinking about 21st century writing.

Image source: http://www.inmagine.com/ie298/ie298028-photo