I am very fortunate to have been included not once but twice on a great webcast (Parents as Partners) about engaging parents in schools and more importantly in their children's learning. In our latest discussion we started to talk a little bit about using social networking (facebook, ning etc) as a tool for connecting with and engaging parents. I had, quite innocently, started a Ning geared towards the parents in my community but really had no comprehension of the reaction that was to follow. The most suprising revelation for me has been that anyone beyond my community would care what we were doing. As I watched Cindy Seibel research how to create a K-12 Parent Portal and Lorna's excitement about what we were doing, it slowly (and I mean reeally slowly) began to sink in that what we were undertaking was a bit of an experiment. So in the next series of blog posts I'd like to share some of the difficulties, triumphs and random thoughts that have come about in the course of the last 5 months.
But first some background -- I am very new to the school system (my children are 8,5,3).I was searching for a way to be involved with the school and I began thinking that my interest in the internet may be the special skill that I could bring to the table. I suggested that Parent Council should have a website and was entrusted with the mandate to make that happen. When I sat back and thought about what I, as a parent, was hoping to find on a website, I quickly realized that it had very little to do with Parent Council. I wanted a virtual clearinghouse of information on community events, school events, sports schedules, and an opportunity to connect with other parents who were in the same boat as me. All of that seemed too daunting of a task for one person to be in charge of so, after some deliberation, I decided to start a community Parent's Ning instead of pursue a Parent Council website. In the environment of a Ning the whole community could pitch in and maintain the site. No-one owned the site, anyone could contribute to the site, in true Web 2.0 fashion it was us using us to create the content we needed.
It seems simple right?? Straightforward?? Shouldn't be a problem?? Well there has been, and continues to be some interesting and unexpected side effects from the process. As you continue through the next few postings I think it is important that you keep in mind a couple of important facts -- actually just one -- this Ning is in a small community -- pop ~1,200 -- those from a small-town rural setting understand what that means. For the rest I think a small explanation is in order. Our children don't just go to school together, they see eachother in the community, attend the same extracurricular activities, and often have extended family in the school (cousins etc). As parents that means we have a lot of interaction with eachother through the kids but it also means that we work, do community service, and socialize together independent of our connection around the children. The real-world ties are extremely strong so the Ning is merely an extension of those ties. I believe this creates an entirely different dynamic than would be found in a more urban setting. Can our experiences to be transferred to what is esentially a different culture?? I'm not entirely sure -- I hope to find that out via the comments I recieve with this series of posts. So -- here goes nothing.....
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
You better be listening to your Ipod!!
Have you ever been utterly lost trying to help your child tackle homework at night? Well if you haven't had the experience yet I can guarantee you it will be coming in the not too distant future. But what if we could turn homework around? What if the lectures were the homework and homework was done at school? Well that is exactly what a couple of innovative teachers at Woodland Park, Colorado are attempting to do.
From a parent's perspective this is an amazing idea. My children haven't hit the "homework nightmare" age but many of my friends are right in the thick of it. They thought their math nightmares were long since gone and now they find themselves up late at night learning "new math" so they can help their child get through whatever problems have been sent home. Now turn that scenario around and the parental responsibility becomes having their child view the lecture and help them formulate a list of points they need clarified. Whew -- now that would be easier -- no need to learn "new math"!!
Kids will benefit as well by having timely help instead of struggling and getting increasingly frustrated at home. Children that have trouble concentrating on a lecture in class may find it easier to comprehend when they can listen/watch in a quiet, distraction free environment. Lessons can be viewed at an individual pace, paused, and replayed for review before an exam. It is a service I know I would have enjoyed when I was student.
It seems the world is continually shifting under our feet. Where once we yelled "Take the ipod off and get doing homework" we may have to change our refrain to "You had better be listening to that Ipod". I think I can make the change -- it beats learning math all over again.
From a parent's perspective this is an amazing idea. My children haven't hit the "homework nightmare" age but many of my friends are right in the thick of it. They thought their math nightmares were long since gone and now they find themselves up late at night learning "new math" so they can help their child get through whatever problems have been sent home. Now turn that scenario around and the parental responsibility becomes having their child view the lecture and help them formulate a list of points they need clarified. Whew -- now that would be easier -- no need to learn "new math"!!
Kids will benefit as well by having timely help instead of struggling and getting increasingly frustrated at home. Children that have trouble concentrating on a lecture in class may find it easier to comprehend when they can listen/watch in a quiet, distraction free environment. Lessons can be viewed at an individual pace, paused, and replayed for review before an exam. It is a service I know I would have enjoyed when I was student.
It seems the world is continually shifting under our feet. Where once we yelled "Take the ipod off and get doing homework" we may have to change our refrain to "You had better be listening to that Ipod". I think I can make the change -- it beats learning math all over again.
Monday, September 8, 2008
This always happens....
Just when I finish a post my surfing brings me to a resource I could have included. This video is a fabulous kindergarten -- aaahh why can't it last?
Why can't kindergarten last forever?
My son will start kindergarten tomorrow and I am very excited for the year of learning he has ahead of him. It only take's a quick look at the Kindergarten Handbook to see that it is a year of exploration, learning and fun. I'm excited to take the journey with him and watch him explore someplace new.
In my real-world travels I have taken a couple of different approaches to exploring new places. I have been on the package bus tours, I have arrived in a city alone and figured things out from there but for the most part I have existed someplace in between those 2 extremes. My brother or sister was usually living in whatever exotic locale I was visiting and served as my guides. Their role went beyond just showing me the sights. Having them there allowed me to venture off on my own knowing that someone was there to bail me out or point me in the right direction. They gave me the basic information, a sense of security and from there I could explore, take chances and experience places in a way that was relevant to me.
Each time I head off to a new place I'm a little better prepared than I was the time before. I move further and further away from the safe, predictable package bus tour and more towards the independent explorer that I hope to be. I wonder why it is that in schools that we seem to have that process backwards? As kids progress, learning seems to change into something that resembles a 10 European countries in 9 days bus tour. You see a lot of sights, are given a lot of information but it always leaves you feeling a bit cheated. Interesting sites pass by your window but there is never time to stop and explore because the group needs to stay together. Rarely is there an opportunity to interact with the communities in any meaningful sort of way. There is an itinerary to follow and strict time constraints each step of the way.
Kindergarten, on the other hand, seems to be the perfect blend. These tiny explorers are given the opportunity to explore and discover, and take responsibility for selecting and completing a
variety of activities. (from the kindergarten handbook) The class often explores a topic of study that arises out of children’s interests and brings together learning from different areas. (also directly from the handbook) In other words -- the bus makes unscheduled stops depending on the interests of the passengers. Many people from the community contribute to the Kindergarten program.(again a quote from you know where) Sadly as more and more curriculum (stops on the tour bus route) is added to the kindergarten program we are in danger of losing this type of learning.
There are many problems that need to be adressed to change the face of learning. The internet and Web 2.0 are only one piece of the puzzle but I think that used correctly they can play an important part. Never in the history of learning has so much information been so readily available to so many people. But information is such a small part, the connections that we can make with members of our larger, global community are unprecedented. Our students can have access to paleontologists from The Royal Tyrell museum, astronauts from the Canadian Space Agency and so much more. They can communicate in real time with classrooms around the world. They can explore, create, share and play. In other words they can make the magic of kindergarten last forever.
In my real-world travels I have taken a couple of different approaches to exploring new places. I have been on the package bus tours, I have arrived in a city alone and figured things out from there but for the most part I have existed someplace in between those 2 extremes. My brother or sister was usually living in whatever exotic locale I was visiting and served as my guides. Their role went beyond just showing me the sights. Having them there allowed me to venture off on my own knowing that someone was there to bail me out or point me in the right direction. They gave me the basic information, a sense of security and from there I could explore, take chances and experience places in a way that was relevant to me.
Each time I head off to a new place I'm a little better prepared than I was the time before. I move further and further away from the safe, predictable package bus tour and more towards the independent explorer that I hope to be. I wonder why it is that in schools that we seem to have that process backwards? As kids progress, learning seems to change into something that resembles a 10 European countries in 9 days bus tour. You see a lot of sights, are given a lot of information but it always leaves you feeling a bit cheated. Interesting sites pass by your window but there is never time to stop and explore because the group needs to stay together. Rarely is there an opportunity to interact with the communities in any meaningful sort of way. There is an itinerary to follow and strict time constraints each step of the way.
Kindergarten, on the other hand, seems to be the perfect blend. These tiny explorers are given the opportunity to explore and discover, and take responsibility for selecting and completing a
variety of activities. (from the kindergarten handbook) The class often explores a topic of study that arises out of children’s interests and brings together learning from different areas. (also directly from the handbook) In other words -- the bus makes unscheduled stops depending on the interests of the passengers. Many people from the community contribute to the Kindergarten program.(again a quote from you know where) Sadly as more and more curriculum (stops on the tour bus route) is added to the kindergarten program we are in danger of losing this type of learning.
There are many problems that need to be adressed to change the face of learning. The internet and Web 2.0 are only one piece of the puzzle but I think that used correctly they can play an important part. Never in the history of learning has so much information been so readily available to so many people. But information is such a small part, the connections that we can make with members of our larger, global community are unprecedented. Our students can have access to paleontologists from The Royal Tyrell museum, astronauts from the Canadian Space Agency and so much more. They can communicate in real time with classrooms around the world. They can explore, create, share and play. In other words they can make the magic of kindergarten last forever.
Monday, September 1, 2008
The transition from tourist to traveler...
The theme of my last post was all about vacations and I must have taken that to heart as it has been 3 months since I have posted anything to my blog. Now that's a vacation. I have struggled to determine why my writing so suddenly dropped off and I think there are a number of factors to blame. Warm weather, longer days, vacation and children home from school would be the usual culprits. Those reasons certainly played a part but I think more importantly I had exhausted the path I had originally set out on.
Make no mistake -- there are many destinations left in the world of Web 2.0 and I have visited many of them over the last 3 months. I have found a fantastic Blog from an educator in the United States that alerts me to several great tools a day, participated in a live webcast, harnessed the power of podcasts for my own continuing professional development, created a Ning for the parents of my community, and have even started reading works of classical literature one RSS feed at a time. It has been an amazing journey, but, the question becomes are the stops along the way the really important thing?
Henry Miller said “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” As I have made my way across this new landscape of the internet I have certainly begun to see things differently. Interaction, communication, socialization and education (both my children's and my own) don't look quite the same as they did 6 months ago. Do I like everything I see -- well of course not -- but I see a lot that makes me very excited for all that is now possible.
So I think that I am ready to resurrect my blog. However, I'd like to think that I have made the transition from tourist to traveler. I will no longer be offering bus tours of the best tourist stops on Web 2.0. I offer instead a narrative of what it is like to be a parent traveling in a land where our children are natives and we are foreigners. With that in mind I will leave you to ponder one of my favourite travel quotes that I often mutter to myself when abroad .....
“Remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” - Clifton Fadiman
Make no mistake -- there are many destinations left in the world of Web 2.0 and I have visited many of them over the last 3 months. I have found a fantastic Blog from an educator in the United States that alerts me to several great tools a day, participated in a live webcast, harnessed the power of podcasts for my own continuing professional development, created a Ning for the parents of my community, and have even started reading works of classical literature one RSS feed at a time. It has been an amazing journey, but, the question becomes are the stops along the way the really important thing?
Henry Miller said “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” As I have made my way across this new landscape of the internet I have certainly begun to see things differently. Interaction, communication, socialization and education (both my children's and my own) don't look quite the same as they did 6 months ago. Do I like everything I see -- well of course not -- but I see a lot that makes me very excited for all that is now possible.
So I think that I am ready to resurrect my blog. However, I'd like to think that I have made the transition from tourist to traveler. I will no longer be offering bus tours of the best tourist stops on Web 2.0. I offer instead a narrative of what it is like to be a parent traveling in a land where our children are natives and we are foreigners. With that in mind I will leave you to ponder one of my favourite travel quotes that I often mutter to myself when abroad .....
“Remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” - Clifton Fadiman
Friday, May 30, 2008
A fellow traveller's guide....
The weather is finally turning warmer and my thoughts, at least, are starting to turn to that all important Canadian institution -- summer vacation!!! The possibilities are endless, festivals abound, the mountains beckon, undiscovered country awaits!! How do you decide? Where will you go? Who will help you discover that undiscovered country? We turn to guide books, websites, friends and family to find the next best place that will fit our family perfectly.
There are problems with this method. Family is great but I doubt the kids will enjoy the Kimberley World Accordian Festival as much as Great-Aunt Phyllis does (or maybe they will -- from experience it is kind of a hoot!). The Enchanted Forest website makes it seem worth the stop but how can you tell if it is just another tourist trap (trust me it's fabulous!)? Which guide do you choose -- are you a Frommer's, Lonely Planet, or Rough guide kind of person? Each is written with a specific traveler in mind. Wouldn't it be great if you could connect with a family just like yours who share your same interests and ideas of what a vacation should be and share your experience, great finds and must see spots?
Now thanks to Social Bookmarking sites such as Diigo and del.icio.us we can come close to creating that experience, and for a lot more than just vacations. Take a look at what Social Bookmarking can do for you :
Diigo takes social bookmarking past just sharing tags and bookmarks. It allows you to highlight passages in a website just as you would in a book and add a sticky note with your thoughts about that passage. When you return to the website days or weeks later it will remind you what you found so interesting. Secondly you can add comments (public or private) to any web page and also read the public comments other's have made. So if you have a Diigo account you will see that I have made a comment regarding the Enchanted Forest when you are on their website. A personal recommendation is worth more than a thousand tour books!
Really great travelers often don't carry guidebooks. They rely on the experiences of those who they meet along the way to guide them and enjoy the thrill of stumbling upon something undiscovered that they in turn can share. Really great Web 2.0 travelers are no different. They move beyond what the "guidebooks" tell them are great sites and rely on their fellow travelers to point them to places that are relevant, peer-reviewed, fantastic resources. So fellow travelers let me know -- where are we off to next?
There are problems with this method. Family is great but I doubt the kids will enjoy the Kimberley World Accordian Festival as much as Great-Aunt Phyllis does (or maybe they will -- from experience it is kind of a hoot!). The Enchanted Forest website makes it seem worth the stop but how can you tell if it is just another tourist trap (trust me it's fabulous!)? Which guide do you choose -- are you a Frommer's, Lonely Planet, or Rough guide kind of person? Each is written with a specific traveler in mind. Wouldn't it be great if you could connect with a family just like yours who share your same interests and ideas of what a vacation should be and share your experience, great finds and must see spots?
Now thanks to Social Bookmarking sites such as Diigo and del.icio.us we can come close to creating that experience, and for a lot more than just vacations. Take a look at what Social Bookmarking can do for you :
Diigo takes social bookmarking past just sharing tags and bookmarks. It allows you to highlight passages in a website just as you would in a book and add a sticky note with your thoughts about that passage. When you return to the website days or weeks later it will remind you what you found so interesting. Secondly you can add comments (public or private) to any web page and also read the public comments other's have made. So if you have a Diigo account you will see that I have made a comment regarding the Enchanted Forest when you are on their website. A personal recommendation is worth more than a thousand tour books!
Really great travelers often don't carry guidebooks. They rely on the experiences of those who they meet along the way to guide them and enjoy the thrill of stumbling upon something undiscovered that they in turn can share. Really great Web 2.0 travelers are no different. They move beyond what the "guidebooks" tell them are great sites and rely on their fellow travelers to point them to places that are relevant, peer-reviewed, fantastic resources. So fellow travelers let me know -- where are we off to next?
Friday, May 9, 2008
And now we pause for a little fun..
Wow -- I had no idea it had been so long since I last posted anything to my Blog. Ooops. Anyway, I promised long ago that somewhere along the line we would have some fun. So far it's been like being on vacation in Germany during Oktoberfest and only seeing churches and museums. Well pull out your lederhosen and get ready to party!! Disclaimer -- I do have 3 kids 7 and under so "party" is a relative term.
What does a parent love more than looking at pictures of their kids? Looking at pictures of their kids set to sappy music!! Granted this is kind of a mom thing but as Mother's Day is upon us I thought I would lead with this amazing site. Animoto is quite possibly the easiest way to put together a slideshow I have ever seen. Just drop in the pictures, choose a music track (from their library or your own collection) and voila they email you as soon as they have put it together. If it's not quite right you can send it back for remixing. 30 sec trailers are free but full length shows are $3 each or $30 for a year's unlimited use. Check out this example....
This next little gem will somewhat give away my age as it reveals my nostalgia for "mixed tapes". You remember the painstaking process of FF and RW to the perfect spot in the tape -- trying to sync the record and play functions (unless you had a dubbing option on your stereo--now that was technology!!). Well you can relive some of those days on Mixwit. You can choose your play list, customize your "tape" and even post it on your Facebook profile or ..........Blog!!
And then there is YouTube, I know it seems like an odd thing to add for parents -- I have to say I resisted the YouTube pull as long as possible but once I started digging it is great for some fun. Some is complete rubbish, some is mediocre and some really worthwhile -- kind of like real TV right? Looking for an episode of a long-lost TV show that was a favourite -- you might find it here. Like I did for our kindergarten teacher who loves using the "Letter People" to introduce kids to letters but never knew there was an old TV show to augment the program -- cheesy but effective....
So we now have pictures, music, a little video -- what else could a party need? Oh yeah -- people!! Using all these Web 2.0 tools by yourself is only half the fun, you now have to invite people to your party!! You can achieve this by emailing your creations and finds out by email but now the preferred way is through a social network. The most well known social network right now has to be Facebook but there were many that came before (such as myspace and secondlife) and there is sure to be many to follow. This is the spot on Web 2.0 to meet up with friends -- old and new -- to share information, post pics of the kids, kick around a joke or two, arrange real life parties and so much more.
Well these few spots are really the tip of the iceberg for what Web 2.0 has available for you to mix, remix and share all types of media. Have fun playing with all the applications and when Uncle Joe and Aunt Martha thank you for the amazing slideshow you put together for their 50th wedding anniversary I hope you think of me.
However there is more to gain here than Joe and Martha's undying gratitude (and possible inheritance). Web 2.0 is fast becoming the "Soda Shop" of the 50's or "The Mall" of the 80's. It's where kids connect, express themselves, do homework and share ideas. Unlike the Soda Shop or Mall it is a place not many parents have been. So as you have fun and use these spaces you will also be gaining an understanding of the space kids are occupying. The more you understand the more you can help your kids fully utilize the amazing resources that are available in a safe, responsible way. So while Joe and Martha's inheritance would be nice, the legacy of teaching "digital natives" how to be good "digital citizens" is worth so much more.
What does a parent love more than looking at pictures of their kids? Looking at pictures of their kids set to sappy music!! Granted this is kind of a mom thing but as Mother's Day is upon us I thought I would lead with this amazing site. Animoto is quite possibly the easiest way to put together a slideshow I have ever seen. Just drop in the pictures, choose a music track (from their library or your own collection) and voila they email you as soon as they have put it together. If it's not quite right you can send it back for remixing. 30 sec trailers are free but full length shows are $3 each or $30 for a year's unlimited use. Check out this example....
This next little gem will somewhat give away my age as it reveals my nostalgia for "mixed tapes". You remember the painstaking process of FF and RW to the perfect spot in the tape -- trying to sync the record and play functions (unless you had a dubbing option on your stereo--now that was technology!!). Well you can relive some of those days on Mixwit. You can choose your play list, customize your "tape" and even post it on your Facebook profile or ..........Blog!!
And then there is YouTube, I know it seems like an odd thing to add for parents -- I have to say I resisted the YouTube pull as long as possible but once I started digging it is great for some fun. Some is complete rubbish, some is mediocre and some really worthwhile -- kind of like real TV right? Looking for an episode of a long-lost TV show that was a favourite -- you might find it here. Like I did for our kindergarten teacher who loves using the "Letter People" to introduce kids to letters but never knew there was an old TV show to augment the program -- cheesy but effective....
So we now have pictures, music, a little video -- what else could a party need? Oh yeah -- people!! Using all these Web 2.0 tools by yourself is only half the fun, you now have to invite people to your party!! You can achieve this by emailing your creations and finds out by email but now the preferred way is through a social network. The most well known social network right now has to be Facebook but there were many that came before (such as myspace and secondlife) and there is sure to be many to follow. This is the spot on Web 2.0 to meet up with friends -- old and new -- to share information, post pics of the kids, kick around a joke or two, arrange real life parties and so much more.
Well these few spots are really the tip of the iceberg for what Web 2.0 has available for you to mix, remix and share all types of media. Have fun playing with all the applications and when Uncle Joe and Aunt Martha thank you for the amazing slideshow you put together for their 50th wedding anniversary I hope you think of me.
However there is more to gain here than Joe and Martha's undying gratitude (and possible inheritance). Web 2.0 is fast becoming the "Soda Shop" of the 50's or "The Mall" of the 80's. It's where kids connect, express themselves, do homework and share ideas. Unlike the Soda Shop or Mall it is a place not many parents have been. So as you have fun and use these spaces you will also be gaining an understanding of the space kids are occupying. The more you understand the more you can help your kids fully utilize the amazing resources that are available in a safe, responsible way. So while Joe and Martha's inheritance would be nice, the legacy of teaching "digital natives" how to be good "digital citizens" is worth so much more.
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