As budget drives learning - if/which application

I recently read a post on TeachPaperless entitled "What is an Educator." It addresses the recent changes in Ning which is no longer free, or at least not to the extent that it was before. However, the question really isn't just about Ning, which if you have a K12 email address you are able to get a mini version of it at no cost. This is similar also to Voicethread and several other commonly used Web 2.0 technologies.

For me and my colleagues the question gets more complicated. I work for a public university and have a .edu email address. With that, I have choices like institutional licensing for thousands of people or the opportunity to only have 3 creations for free with my login. Well, what I really want to do is just show faculty and K12 educators I work with what they can do and have available to them. I can't always show them what it will be like because I don't have access. Or I want to tailor examples but I've used up all my free space. What about those educators that get excited about emerging technologies? If they are in higher ed teaching 100 students or less, they don't want a license for thousands of users. These days they don't have deep pockets and departmental budgets for technology don't exist. Most of these applications won't be adopted by the entire university community or school district and certainly not on behalf of a single teacher.

Where do we draw the line on free access and paid use? I realize the companies need to make their money somewhere and nobody has any money to spend. However am I less of an educator because my audience is older than 17?  Add to that. most educators don't just use one application, they use many. By the time we pay for all of them it becomes a costly venture but we know there are different tools for different performance tasks and learning styles so we can't just stick to one.

So back to the very good question posed in "What is an Educator," how do you define educator? Then to expand on that with another question... What would be a reasonable model for emerging technology companies to use so that they can make enough profit to continue to function but not cost those who have shallow pockets so much that we can't continue to use their products? It's these tools that help our students grow, learn and someday become the CEOs of tomorrow.

Texting and literacy skills

I happened upon a BBC article about texting supposedly not having any negative impact on literacy skills, in particular the ability to spell. The claim is that it ties in nicely with phonics and students need to understand how a word is actually spelled and the phonetics in order to shorten it.

As a language educator and a technology in learning enthusiast who has often given presentations on using cellphones and texting for learning, I'm doubtful. I'm mostly doubtful because the study is based on English speakers. As a rather fluent speaker of Spanish, a very phonetic language where there is only 1 silent letter and the vowels sound the same regardless of where they are in a word, and a native speaker of English, a language which is far from phonetic, I'm just not buying it.

Now, that isn't to say that if your students are not learning the literacy skills they should have it is the fault of texting. I'm just not believing that there is a positive impact on their ability to spell. I think there are many factors involved and that there are other skills to be gained from texting. In fact as a language educator it is becoming increasingly important to teach students proper texting abbreviations in the target language. In many countries computers aren't as ubiquitous as in the US but cellphones are everywhere and they all have inexpensive texting plans (something that the US is behind on.) For a student to go overseas for school or work, they will need to know texting abbreviations to communicate with those they befriend during their stay.

So, the final study of the impact of texting on English literacy won't be complete until next year. Regardless, I don't think any changes in our literacy are only a result of one factor and with respect to texting, I'm not convinced that the impact is one of improved spelling. What are your thoughts/predictions of the final study?

Life on the road

Last week I presented seminars to K-16 language educators on the east coast. It was both one of the craziest and most rewarding experiences I have had in a long time. I now understand how musicians on tour mess up and say "Hello Chicago" when they are actually in Detroit. My trip was 5 states in 5 days. It was kind of nuts. I started in Burlington, VT. From there, along with my program manager/logistics guru, we drove to Manchester, NH followed by Waltham, MA near Boston. From there we flew to Philadelphia, drove to Cherry Hill, NJ and then on to State College, PA. Each day I presented a 5 hour seminar to some amazing language educators. While I didn't always know which state/city I was in at the time, and therefore avoided saying it out loud, I was so energized by the participants that location was completely irrelevant.

My topic was emerging technologies in the language classroom. While I covered more options than any one teacher could possibly take on, my participants all offered me some phenomenal new ways of using technologies that I hadn't tried out before. I came away each day with one or two more ideas and approaches. Web 2.0 is about a collective intelligence. That definitely came alive with the sharing and collaboration of my participants each day.

Since my return I have had contact with a number of my participants and I hope that they will keep in touch to tell me where they end up going with their new ideas. More importantly, I hope they continue to use our seminar website and communicate with each other. It's that collaboration and communication on a regular basis that helps us all with our professional development in times when funds are too tight to provide much in the way of opportunity.

More than just a break

It's that time of year again. Passover and Easter, for those who celebrate, spring vacation and my birthday. I got the usually email from my mom asking what I wanted for my birthday. As usual I ignored it, as I do my birthday. Never been a huge priority for me. Another day in the life of... So, I got a second email. This time a reminder that my birthday is coming soon and asking me what I wanted. I wrote back that I wanted to not deal with that right now. Something I suspect my father might say...

As I reflect over the four+ decades of birthdays, many of which have fallen during Passover, I remember the struggle to find a cake that was Kosher. Back in the late 60's/early 70's there really weren't any flourless cakes, or at least none that tasted like something you would want to eat. My mom, always tried her best though to find something that would be appropriate for a celebration. I suspect there were some that were not celebrated on my actual day so that I could have a proper cake. My mom went to great lengths for me and always has.

I then started to think about all of this. Almost 43 years ago my mom went into labor, an extraordinarily painful experience. Been there, done that myself. She pushed me out, quicker than my dad expected as the movie he was watching in the waiting room hadn't yet ended. All of this effort on my mom's part, alone except for the doctors and nurses, and only to spend the next 43 years having me aggravate her.

So, what do I want for my birthday? I don't deserve anything but my mom does. I recommend that all cards, e or otherwise, wishes, etc, go to my mom this year. If you're a friend of mine, you can thank her. if you are family, you can ask her why on earth she has put up with me for so long. Or just wish her well, she deserves it.

Thanks, Mom for all that you do and put up with. (Yes, I know I ended with a preposition...)

Getting started...First step isn't always a doosy

Overwhelmed by all that is out there? You're not alone. We all feel that way at times with juggling teaching, grading, creating new ideas and trying to learn to use emerging technologies that change so rapidly. Having the opportunity to get an elementary school started with technology integration has been a tremendous opportunity as we pave the way or better said, stumble, fall and get up to start again. For the district, we may be the pioneers. In the world view, where have we been that we are so behind???

Regardless of where you are, and we are all in different stages of learning, there is something for everyone. For those who are just getting started and are totally new to today's emerging technologies, I want to recommend a couple of new reads. In case you are wondering, they are both free, in true Web 2.0 technology style.

1) The Amazing Web 2.0 Projects Book edited by Terry Freedman contains 87 project suggestions. If you aren't sure what you want to do to get started using the web this is a great book of ideas. It is organized nicely by age of the students for each project described which helps to narrow your ideas to age appropriate options.

2) Twelve Essentials for Technology Integration by Richard Byrne is an online document for some suggested web tools to get you started. The tools chosen all have free options for educators. It's a quick easy read. Although it doesn't go in depth into examples for use, it does describe what each tool can do and offers some brief suggestions for their use.

Feeling overwhelmed is a common theme for those who are first getting started with emerging technologies. There is so much information and so many options it becomes difficult to narrow that down and know where to get started. While my primary focus is on technology tools for learning, I  struggle to keep up with the newest, latest, and greatest. It takes time, of which none of us have enough.

So here is my short list of what I use to keep up:

1. Twitter, my PLN (professional learning network) is the key to discovering new tools, staying on top of the latest articles and research, and a great place to get instant feedback on any questions I have.
2. Netvibes helps me to keep up with all the blogs I want to follow. I make it my home page so when I open a browser I see all the news I most want to read. It does take scheduling time to read it though.
3. Social Bookmarking with diigo has been crucial to my ability to return to the tools and ideas that I learn from my PLN. In addition I joined a group of educators on diigo and receive regular suggestions from that group for other sites and information of interest to me. For research diigo allows me to annotate and highlight content in any online article I read. As an added bonus any items I bookmark also go straight to my delicious feed.

I would love to know what others are using to make the technology in their world manageable. How do you keep up and what are your favorite tools?

Uninterrupted text...Oh, my!

Nothinng like the tongue in cheek Onion articles to give us a little reality check. The article "Nation Shudders At Large Block Of Uninterrupted Text" was brought to my attention this morning. In addition to LOL (laughing out loud, for those of you unfamiliar with "texting" abbreviations), it gave me pause. What is it that our students come into our classrooms expecting to see? 

There have been many claims about how computers are ruining the lives of our children. They aren't reading any more... There is a great conglomeration of statistics that I found on the Media Literacy Clearinghouse site. It includes statistics from Pew, FCC, and several others. Not surprisingly they all report an increase in the use of technology and a decrease in the use of print media. But does that necessarily correlate to we are reading less? I'm not so sure that it does. There are a number of videos that talk about how the way our students learn has changed and actually demonstrate that students are reading more, although perhaps differently. If you aren't familiar with the "Did you know" Videos you might check this out:


As teachers we spend lots of time thinking about learning styles and differentiated learning so we can meet the needs of our students. Is technology just offering us another way to do that? If students are motivated to read, or if you are finding this blog post more interesting because the text is broken up by related pictures and some video, perhaps you too are using those "in text" clues to help you reconsider what reading looks like in today's world. 

Recently Apple released some new hardware, the iPad. Tablet PCs aren't a new concept but the look and feel of the iPad may be for some people. How will this technology change reading for our students? Not long ago the Kindle was a "must have" for those who wanted books digitally. Are we really reading less or just reading differently? What are the different skills we use when we read digitally? Are our students spending more time skimming and scanning content? How will textbook companies respond? As you can see I have more questions than answers. 

What I do know is that I'm a huge fan of diigo as it helps me share electronically what I'm reading with friends and followers. But it is even more than just a social bookmarking tool as it also lets me highlight and comment on the content that I read. While I could do that before in a traditional text, those notes were only for me. With diigo, I can share my comments and highlights with others with whom I collaborate. I'm still reading but now my reading has become more active. Sharing what I read adds new questions and new ideas as I develop meaning from a text as a result of not just my own thoughts but those of my colleagues who are able to read the same exact "page" of text. 

Now that you are overloaded with too much "uninterrupted text" (the last 4 paragraphs) let me know what your thoughts are. How is technology changing the face of reading in our students? What are your predictions and concerns for the future readers we are shaping in the classroom today?

Light bulb moment

Today was the first full day of the Central States Conference in Minneapolis. It's always a wonderful experience to see language teaching colleagues old and new, check out what's in the exhibit hall and roll the dice to see if I pick the best sessions of the many that are offered. It's interesting as I reflect on my teaching, not only in the classroom tools but in the content that I teach and how over the years that changes the face of my choices in sessions. This year I'm combining a look at technology tools in education and attending mostly elementary sessions. As I retool myself to meet the needs of my current audience, I recognize that what I'm doing today may be completely different from what I'm doing in five years. Through all of this the pedagogy and best practices aren't changing, its how we approach them.

So, what do I mean by that. Let's start with mobile learning. When asked most people seem to be thinking of cell phones, smart phones, any technology that they can carry with them so that you can learn anytime anywhere. While I don't disagree with that, I don't see it as a new idea either. People have been learning "mobilely" forever. As a language teacher we know that the best way to get to know a culture and learn a language is to be there. It doesn't happen within the walls of a classroom, it happens outside in the real world. Now we just have some additional tools that can be used to give us some more in depth information than what we perhaps used to have. Or maybe it isn't even the information that has changed so much as the way we access that information. The trick is making it a natural part of our learning. For many teachers it may still be hard to let go enough to recognize that learning can happen when the teacher isn't around and the teacher's role can be to ask the questions that help the students recognize what they have learned in the process of simply being out in the world as observers and explorers.

Another question that has come to mind as I think about the presentation we did today and the workshop I will present tomorrow is terminology. In language teaching we refer to the use of "backward design" of a lesson. The idea of starting with assessment so you know what it is that you want the students to be able to do when they are done. Then you build your learning such that students can reach that goal or demonstrate to what extent they have reached that goal. So why is that "backwards?" Seems to me it is forward design. We don't build a house without having the architects complete plan in place first and then take all the pieces and put them together to reach the final product. Is that design backwards also? I have no answers to that question right now and perhaps it doesn't matter. After all it's just the jargon we use. The most important part is focusing on the learner and being sure that they have the scaffolding in place to learn wherever they are whenever they want to and to have the skills to make sense of what they are experiencing. Those will be the skills that will help them to be creative, contributing members of a society that we can't yet imagine.