tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post4505030045117059682..comments2024-03-29T06:57:49.917-04:00Comments on Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: Let’s Stop Making Students Power Down at SchoolLisa Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07759123507185453030noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-41599376798377522902009-11-24T01:13:13.887-05:002009-11-24T01:13:13.887-05:00@Anonymous, as a Vegas girl, I can tell you some o...@Anonymous, as a Vegas girl, I can tell you some of your assumptions are not accurate. Like many, expression through video comes to her more easily than does written or spoken word. She is as self-motivated as any adolescent might be about a teen idol. Not so much when it comes to school work. Tech is a powerful tool for many of those for whom other forms of expression are more difficult. In fact a professional author I admire suffers from dyslexia. Technology is a powerful tool that enables her to make a living as an author despite this. I am aware of the access issue as well. I am based in Harlem. As I take the subways and busses around the neighborhood I am amazed at the number of people who have their Smartphones and laptops out and are talking about what he said/she said on Facebook. Technology iS more ubiquitous. School libraries have become internet cafes after hours. Some schools are connecting with businesses to provide opportunities for kids, and others are connecting with organizations like Computers for Youth to provide home access. When kids are exposed to, and find topics they are passionate about, they find ways to powerfully express themselves. Marco Torres speaks eloquently on this topic. He has students who find hot spots in East L.A. where they bring laptops they get permission to borrow so they can do work and tell stories about which they are passionate.<br /><br />You bring up many questions about money and costs of hosting content. What our digital native students know and I am trying to help educators understand is that most meaningful publishing is free. The #1 place for video publishing is free YouTube. TeacherTube is also free. Vimeo also provides powerful free capabilities. For writing, blogs are free too, as are web hosting sites. In fact I recently shared on my Facebook page free ways to publish online. One of the top publishing sites for kids, Fanfiction, is free as well. <br /><br />You mention consent forms. A message I’m hoping to convey is that kids aren’t waiting around for educators. They are producing, publishing and existing in these worlds with or without us. In the meantime, it would make sense to send home a permission slip. All schools and districts have them. An alternative that we teach is to support students in developing screen names and avatars so their identity is not revealed. <br /><br />You state that I hold a school in high regard for cutting and pasting text from articles into a PowerPoint. I’m not clear on what you are referring to, but I assure you that whichever school you are speaking of, it was something else they were doing that I held in high regard. You also recommend that if I am interested in helping the staff of the school I most recently visited in taking the next steps, I should meet face-to-face with them and offer specific feedback. I didn’t write about a visit to a school in this post, but in the schools in which I am involved, we have experienced and professional staff developers and partners who do just that. <br /><br />You ask what I mean by publishing if not on the web. I mean that when talking of publishing the focus isn’t the web. The web is a medium for reading, writing, audio, video, phone, etc. etc. Publishing can happen in a number of ways. Publishing a book on Lulu or Blurb makes work available digitally or as a printed book. A podcast is another form of publishing. So is a video. I define publishing in part as producing for an identified audience and thinking about who that audience might be beyond the small microcosm of school or family, but rather others with like interests and passions from which students can connect and learn.<br /><br /><br />Regarding your comment about data being important, I agree. However, we need to remember why we are collecting that data. I love what Will Richardson says when he shares what he hopes for in the schools his kids attend. Like him, I hope educators believe that we are collecting the data to support students in “identifying what they love, what their strengths are, and then help them create their own paths to mastery of their passions.”Lisa Nielsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07759123507185453030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-40902220914296821542009-11-23T23:56:13.694-05:002009-11-23T23:56:13.694-05:00While I respect your work and your views, you assu...While I respect your work and your views, you assume that all students come to technology with the same set of skills, interest and equal access. If I was a betting person, I would say your boyfriend's child is literate, self motivated, and does not struggle with academics or academic writing. In addition, she clearly has access to technology. In many of our schools, this is the not the case because students cannot read or write well and they certainly do not have access to technology outside of the school setting. <br /><br />In your most recent visit did the teachers involved have students thinking critically? Was technology used to foster critical-thinking? I also wonder whether or not the students work was published but the site that hosted it now costs money which the school does not have. There is also a presumption that all of the consent forms to publish student work were received. I know for my students I would love to publish their work. However, no permission slips, equals no publishing. <br /><br />What exactly do you mean by publishing if not on the web? Alan November suggested burning dvd's for families to watch student's work together. I would submit that this is a form of publishing. Do you know whether or not any of the students in your most recent school visit have copies of their output? If they do, isn't that publishing?<br /><br />I am aware, that in one of your other recent visits students were observed cutting and pasting text from articles into a PowerPoint presentation. Ironically you hold that school in high regard. I don't think that this use of technology fosters critical-thinking. The student's work may be published but is it really authentic? <br /><br />Finally, if you really are interested in helping the staff of the school you most recently visited in taking the next steps, I would highly suggest meeting face-to-face with them and offer specific feedback. The fact of the matter still remains if students do not make the grade on standardized exams, earn at least a ten credits a year, and make academic progress, the school will not remain open very long. Whether you like or not, educator's positions rely heavily on the data. <br /><br />I applaud your efforts in helping educators learn how to prepare students for the 21st Century and the global workforce.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-34796284308080171482009-11-22T23:01:54.834-05:002009-11-22T23:01:54.834-05:00@apple, thank you for your feedback. You ask grea...@apple, thank you for your feedback. You ask great questions. In response to your question about blocked sites, I have a few ideas. My first idea is that there are progressive teachers, principals, superintendents, and systems that allow unblocking. They exist. The best schools and systems are those that give the power to block/unblock. Teachers and leaders may not be aware that there are ways to get websites unblocked and they should do their best to find out how to do this in their district. If a principal or superintendent wants a site unblocked they should be empowered to do so. I write about how to do this at the NYC DOE in two posts: http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2008/10/helpful-documents-for-innovative.html and http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2008/08/instructional-technology-tips-for-new.html. In districts where unblocking is not possible, I reflect upon a school where this was the case. At this school the principals and teachers worked at school to create and produce student work. The students were able to find ways to publish their work outside school. While this may not be ideal, outside school walls students are free to produce and publish and they usually won’t have a difficult time figuring out how to do so. Sadly, innovative educators, if necessary, can figure out ways to support students in doing the work at school even if they can’t publish or view it while they are there.Lisa Nielsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07759123507185453030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-47805921758829442302009-11-22T22:32:12.424-05:002009-11-22T22:32:12.424-05:00to bring this a little closer to home, how can we ...to bring this a little closer to home, how can we plan to utilize sharing tools such as youtube, twitter, facebook, and various other social medias when they are blocked on the instructional DOE LANs? can i teach my kids to use these tools in school, in real time, without having to make a video of myself using social media at home, then tell them to try from the public library or home?applenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-23097536356329955662009-11-22T20:03:39.342-05:002009-11-22T20:03:39.342-05:00To clarify, I never mentioned the web in my post. ...To clarify, I never mentioned the web in my post. I believe the web is an important medium to share and disseminate information. The point is not about the medium it is about helping students work be worthwhile and meaningful. Papers and worksheets handed to a teacher does not seem worthwhile, engaging, inspiring, or meaningful to most students. You ask is everything we want a student to learn available on the web? The web is just a medium for students to learn, connect, publish, and connect in ways never before possible. The web is a fantastic learning and publishing tool and plays a part in much learning, but learning takes place in a variety of ways. I would never ask the question how much integration is too much or too little. That’s like saying how much reading or writing is too much or too little. Outside of school technology is ubiquitous. I think the world inside school should match it. Allowing students to use technology allows them to communicate, create, produce, and connect in ways not possible without it. I don’t think the emphasis should be on teaching effective computer use any more than I think we should spend a lot of time on effective use of paper, pen, or page turning in a book. In this post you’ll notice that Alli (The 13-year-old video producer) never needed a teacher to teach her effective computer use. She had a message and figured out how to deliver it. The emphasis should be on teaching students to find their passion and authentic, meaningful, and appropriate ways to share, publish, connect, and discuss that about which they are passionate.Lisa Nielsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07759123507185453030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-33412608607220170822009-11-22T17:19:58.861-05:002009-11-22T17:19:58.861-05:00Do you believe the Web equals school, or is it bet...Do you believe the Web equals school, or is it better understood as a subcomponent of school? Is everything we want a k-12 student to learn available on the web? It seems to me we are in a time of flux, where no one really knows how much web integration is too much or too little. Certainly there are classes when the computer may never be powered up, and times during other classes that it should be powered down. Personally, I think what's more important than allowing students to use computers more often, is teaching students to use them more effectively.Fred Deutschhttp://www.school-of-thought.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-13876263614005756772009-11-22T15:53:07.542-05:002009-11-22T15:53:07.542-05:00Kevin, that would be great. I'm inviting her ...Kevin, that would be great. I'm inviting her and her dad to comment on this post in general and to you in particular. I know other educators like Susan Ettenheim who might also want to Skype with her. Is it possible to capture a the Skype session to share with others?Lisa Nielsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07759123507185453030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-2358546927990835202009-11-22T15:32:05.560-05:002009-11-22T15:32:05.560-05:00Lisa, would it be possible for Alli (or is it Emil...Lisa, would it be possible for Alli (or is it Emily?) to Skype with our media club after school sometime? I'd love to have her explain how she taught herself iMovie and describe the process of making the movie. It's fantastic! Please let me know! -kj-Kevin Jarretthttp://www.ncs-tech.orgnoreply@blogger.com