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RSS – the best invention since the blog!  I am still trying to master the skimming of postings, but I am an information junkie I guess. I did try to create some criteria for subscribing and then tried even harder to just say no when the blog did not fit.   Interestingly as I was looking at all the blog options for subscribing, I ran across and interesting one, The Hokey Pokey, but did not choose to subscribe because, well, it did not fit my criteria.  Several days later when I was talking to my 25 year old son, he mentioned he had heard that one of his middle school teachers, Jim Bond, with whom I had worked, was very ill with cancer.  My son was composing an email, and gave me Jim’s email and blog address.  I was stunned when I realized that Jim was the author of The Hokey Pokey.  I went back to his blog, and needless to say have added it to my list.  Through the intimate power of the blog, Jim has been able to share his fight, his hopes, and now ultimately his final days with his friends and family.  The internet, and the Web 2.0 technology just showed me first hand how meaningful, relavent, and personal it can really be.

My experience with blogs prior to this assignment, was brief, and unorganized.  I was hesitant to dive into yet another world of interest that could swallow me up like Alice’s looking glass.  The sheer number of blogs available is mind boggling.  As I began the assignment to read and comment on 5 of a list of 14 blogs, I thought, “hey, I can do this, no problem!”   That was over a week ago, and of course I could not read just 5.  It is like trying to eat just one Lay’s Potato Chip.  Not only could I not limit myself to 5, but I could not limit myself to the original blogs.  Each one interesting in its own right, lured me to explore further with tempting links and references.  I did not dare even look at the blogrolls.

Now the dust has cleared and I am able to reflect on my first expedition.  Some blogs are amazing.  Many are well written, and with the world of bloggers poised to comment, applaud, or criticize, just a keystroke away, most have a genuine quality sorely missing in tradtional print media.  When first asked to reflect on how Blog reading and writing was similar and different from traditional media, I thought, “Reading is reading.  Writing is writing, what could be so different in a blog?”

Well, blogs are more conversational.  After reading several, I began anticipating the comments that I knew would appear below.  I appreciated the critical comments more than the complimentary ones, because they usually sparked more conversation, thus giving the concepts a more 3 dimensional quality.   I thought the open forum would be intimidating to the writer, but realized that the immediate feedback allows the writer to express and publish thoughts more freely.  If there is a question, it can be asked, the discussion can ensue.  Traditional writers must try to anticipate how different readers will interpret their work, and try to cover all bases the first time, and then they must move on with little if any interaction with the readers.

The most illuminating discovery for me was the diversity of bloggers.  They ranged in age from teenagers to retirees, and were from a variety of cultures and occupations.  All had a voice.  The content was refreshing when compared to the cookie cutter content published in most newspapers and magazines.

I cannot help but get excited at the thought of tapping into this resource to share ideas, teach, and collaborate.  My challenge will be exercising the self discipline to innovate without being drawn off course.  I want to catch the wave, not be drowned by it.

Surfs Up!

The article, A Day in the Life of Web 2.0, by David Warlick, reads sort of like a Ray Bradbury novel, but unlike science fiction, the tools are here, now.  Wow.  I do have to admit that at first I thought, “This sounds great, but what about all the problems that could get in the way?  What about the computer that crashes, the firewall that blocks a site, the administrator or parent, or student or teacher, who does not participate?”

Well, what about the problems?  Are they really that different from those that haunt technology tools that have been in use for years?  Like the car that won’t start, or the bridge that washes out, the people who do not return phone calls no matter how many messages you leave on their answering machine?

Then I realized it is not about the things that don’t work or the people who don’t participate, it is about the things that do work for those willing to try.  A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to ride a zip-line from the high end of a quarry and drop into the middle of the quarry lake.  Being acutely afraid of open heights, the idea of stepping off a ladder, holding onto a “trolley” until I reached a safe point to let go and drop into the water was paralyzing.  Of course it made me mad that I was afraid to do what others – even children – seemed to do so effortlessly.  Solution, I stopped thinking about it, and just did it. Immediately, the moment I stepped off the ladder, I was thrilled. I was amazed at the freedom I felt – not the freedom of zipping through the air, but the freedom from paralysis and fear.

After reading the article, I began wondering about how many times I have shied away from adopting new technical tools for fear that they might not work or they might be met with resistance, or [fill in fears here].  Are there some real concerns? Certainly! Educators are still reeling from the explosion of accessible information created by the internet, and now with Web 2.0 creating an immediate, interactive, global environment, the possibilities can be overwhelming.  But the good news is, I don’t have to do it all.  I can do what makes sense for me.  Remembering Thing 1′s Effective Habit #3, View Problems as Challenges.  Can I identify a problem that involves students using a Web 2.0 technology?  Clearly they know how to use it, and have access to it, so start there. Challenge: Find a way to use their interest, access, and knowledge to Web 2.0 tools as an asset.  Step off the ladder, grab the trolly.

How might you be able to use these new tools to engage today’s “digital learners?”
The the article is chock full of examples. We need to think about using Web 2.0 technology as more than a classroom educational tool. As the article illustrates, Web 2.0 communication and collaborative tools affect the teachers, students, administrators, and parents. The educational experience blends over into the students’ life, and their families. The teachers and administrators can also blend their experiences immediately with Web 2 technology.

More specifically, I am going to employ Web 2 technology to motivate my students in ways that were impossible before. I can best illustrate using my 5th grade guitar students. In the past, students relied primarily on their instructor to provide the music they learned. Now students download tabs and videos of songs with ease. Unstructured, they attempt to play the “fun” parts for which they have not developed good techniques. They develop bad habits that will get in the way of their progress. I will incorporate their interest in the “fun” parts to demonstrate key lessons. I will allow them to teach my lesson idea using their parts. We will then post the video lessons on line, with their parents’ permission. At the end of a semester I will create a DVD for the student and their family. It will be a great resource and a fun portfolio of their progress.

Why would you want to?
The biggest change I have seen in students in the past 4 years is their exposure to and use of immediate information. In the past, a topic could be introduced in a measured way, so that the teacher could be “in control” of a large group of students. Now, as a teacher, I have to be ready for a group of students who have been exposed to and “see the big picture.”  What it says to me is; Like it or not, the old classroom model of students in desks and teacher at the front of the class is ineffective. The old model assumes the students are limited in their access to the information that I am going to teach them in my class. It also assumes that the information in the class is static and unchanging. Not so. It seems using Web 2 communication is no longer an option if we are going to educate our students, (not necessarily to improve the education, I fear we need it just to provide the basics.)

Another compelling reason is that Web 2.0 tools are available worldwide. They are becoming a standard of communication. Clearly multimedia messages are more effective than print, and interactive communication is more engaging than static. The incredible growth of social networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace, and YouTube, are evidence of where people are walking with their fingers.  Students today are already communicating with people around the world, and will increasingly compete worldwide for scholarships, education, and jobs.  Can we afford to ignore the tools that will give our students access?

Growing up with a nickname of “Fingers” because of the things I took apart [Picture a young mother (my mom), a 2 year-old (me), and an angry grocery store manager (bless his heart) holding the handle to the store safe that I had removed with my fingers], I have never had issues embracing technology. However, how to use technology effectively – that is a completely different matter.  Even when using technology effectively, it is so easy to get caught in a techno-rut, that when you step back and look, you realize, “Hey! They went that-a-way!”

The focus of Thing 1, the 7.5 Habits of Effective Learners, emphasizes that being a lifelong learner is a continuous process.  The rapid and constant change of technology available for education is a tremendous motivator to develop these habits!

The most resonant habit for me is number 7. Teach or Mentor.  As far back as I can remember, I have always learned by teaching.  When studying for difficult exams, I would teach to the mirror, in a room all by myself.  It is reassuring to realize that even though the technology changes, the habits do not.

I think the most important habit is number 2. Accept responsibility for your own learning. If we wait for someone or something to require that we learn, then show us how, the other 6.5 habits will sit around gathering dust.

I was most surprised by my revelation that number 6. Use technology to your advantage, is the hardest for me.  Technology changes so fast that I do not have time to master the tools before I use them.  The pearl in #6 is to let go of the need to perfect the use and understanding of the tools, and just use them, or find myself in a cloud of dust wondering “Which way did they go?”