The Tempered Radical

Reflections on Teaching for Tomorrow

You know, every time I host a Voicethread conversation here on the Radical, I walk away professionally refreshed.  There’s something incredibly satisfying about joining together with like minds for three days of thought!

And our recent conversation on Teaching the iGeneration was certainly no exception.  Brilliant thoughts were shared, y’all, and if you didn’t have time to stop by, be sure to check out the daily summaries posted here, here and here.

But now, it’s time to take action.  Good conversations are meaningless if they don’t result in change at the classroom, school and/or district level. 

For me, those action steps will include:

Continuing to encourage teachers and principals to focus on teaching instead of technology:  One of my favorite comments in our entire conversation came from Dan Greenberg, who wondered whether conversations about tools are actually preventing us from having conversations about good teaching.

T4T Conversation Summary—Day 3

It’s hard to believe, but our focused three-day conversation with Adam Garry and Meg Ormiston—authors of Teaching the iGeneration and Creating a Digital Rich Classroom respectively—is quickly coming to an end.

The end result is a conversation that will challenge your thinking!  Take a few minutes exploring the summaries from the first and second days of our conversation and then poke through our thread online. 

You might also be interested in the comments that I found most interesting today:

On slide 2, Dan Greenberg—who has started a ton of interesting strands in this conversation—talks about all of the devices that today’s students typically own but that we don't allow them to use in our schools. 

Dan’s point was echoed on slide 4 by Renee Moore, who works in a system that struggles to meet the hardware needs of its schools.  Easing restrictions prohibiting students from using their own tools in schools, Renee believes, might just help schools integrate technology in tough budget times.

T4T Conversation Summary—Day 2

So we’ve made it through Day 2 of our conversation on teaching for tomorrow with digital change experts Adam Garry and Meg Ormiston, authors of Teaching the iGeneration and Creating a Digital Rich Classroom respectively, and I’m loving the time that we’re spending together!

Every time that I stop by the conversation, I have my own thinking challenged, that’s for sure.  And that’s what I love the most about the Web 2.0 world:  I get to learn from people that I’ve never even met.

Too cool.

If you haven’t had a chance to join us in Voicethread yet and you’re looking for a way to catch up on the conversation quickly, consider checking out this summary of yesterday’s interactions. 

Also, here are some highlights from today’s discussion:

Steve Kabachia—a teacher of English Language Arts and Humanities in Central Alberta—started an interesting strand on the very first slide of our presentation when he asked how teachers working with Web 2.0 and mobile technologies in the classroom can best deal with the support and/or interference from stakeholders. 

That’s an interesting question, isn’t it?  In my experiences as a teacher using technology, the only given is that there is ALWAYS going to be support AND interference from stakeholders! 

T4T Conversation Summary: Day 1

Our iGeneration Voicethread is off to a great start, y'all! Your comments---which are coming from everyone from classroom teachers to professional development providers and principals---are all fantastic and will definitely spark thinking and conversation. 

Keep it up, huh?  By Saturday afternoon, we'll all have a better understanding of the possibilities and pitfalls of teaching for tomorrow. 

If you're interested in finding interesting strands quickly, try these:

Becky Goerend starts an interesting strand on slide one when she points out that students in rural communities don't often have an awareness of what's possible with digital tools simply because their lives haven't been as heavily influenced by opportunities to reach beyond the local community. 

That makes me wonder how effective digital change efforts in rural communities differ from digital change efforts in urban or suburban communities. 

There are constant conversations about the urgency of introducing economically disadvantaged students to technology.  Do we need the same urgency in introducing rural students to technology?

Conversation on Teaching for Tomorrow Starts Today

Here it is, Radical Nation: The first day in our three-day conversation on teaching for tomorrow with digital change experts Adam Garry---my Teaching the iGeneration coauthor---and Meg Ormiston, author of Creating a Digital Rich Classroom, a title due to be published by Solution Tree in September.

Interested in joining the conversation?

Then click this link: Enter Teaching for Tomorrow 

You might also be interested in this set of directions on how to make digital conversations work for you and this set of directions about how to sign up for a Voicethread account. 

Something to know about navigating Voicethread conversations:

While working in a Voicethread conversation, participants can choose to hit the "Play" button at the bottom of any particular slide and watch the conversation around that slide from beginning to end.  That's probably the best strategy the first time you stop by our conversation with Adam and Meg because you'll get to hear my opening questions, Adam and Meg's initial responses, and the thinking of other participants.

Here it is, Radical Nation: The first day in our three-day conversation on teaching for tomorrow with digital change experts Adam Garry---my Teaching the iGeneration coauthor---and Meg Ormiston, author of Creating a Digital Rich Classroom, a title due to be published by Solution Tree in September.

Interested in joining the conversation?

Then click this link: Enter Teaching for Tomorrow 

You might also be interested in this set of directions on how to make digital conversations work for you and this set of directions about how to sign up for a Voicethread account. 

Something to know about navigating Voicethread conversations:

While working in a Voicethread conversation, participants can choose to hit the "Play" button at the bottom of any particular slide and watch the conversation around that slide from beginning to end.  That's probably the best strategy the first time you stop by our conversation with Adam and Meg because you'll get to hear my opening questions, Adam and Meg's initial responses, and the thinking of other participants.

Here it is, Radical Nation: The first day in our three-day conversation on teaching for tomorrow with digital change experts Adam Garry---my Teaching the iGeneration coauthor---and Meg Ormiston, author of Creating a Digital Rich Classroom, a title due to be published by Solution Tree in September.

Interested in joining the conversation?

Then click this link: Enter Teaching for Tomorrow 

You might also be interested in this set of directions on how to make digital conversations work for you and this set of directions about how to sign up for a Voicethread account. 

Something to know about navigating Voicethread conversations:

While working in a Voicethread conversation, participants can choose to hit the "Play" button at the bottom of any particular slide and watch the conversation around that slide from beginning to end.  That's probably the best strategy the first time you stop by our conversation with Adam and Meg because you'll get to hear my opening questions, Adam and Meg's initial responses, and the thinking of other participants.

Resources for Web 2.0 Conversation

Anyone that is planning on participating in our focused three-day conversation on teaching for tomorrow with digital change experts Adam Garry and Meg Ormiston this week might be interested in exploring the following resources before the conversation begins:

Initial Question Slides:  If you’ve ever participated in a Solution Tree Voicethread presentation, you know that each strand of conversation is centered around a provocative quote and started with an initial comment full of questions for authors and participants posted by me. 

While our conversation isn’t live in Voicethread until Thursday, you can get a jump start by downloading the PowerPoint that I’ve used to create the presentation.  Included are the quotes we’ll be studying and the complete text of my initial comments.

Here’s the file:

Download TeachingiGeneration_FinalQuotes

Consider poking through these a bit before Thursday.  Find a strand that you think is particularly interesting to you and plan out a few initial thoughts to share.  Think about areas where you can lend your own experiences and/or expertise to the conversation. 

Doing so will ensure that everyone learns more!

Free Download of Teaching the iGeneration:  To help readers prepare for our conversation, Solution Tree has graciously made my newest book---Teaching the iGeneration----available as a free PDF download for the remainder of this week. (Registration required.)

Consider giving it a look.  Browse the introductory text of each chapter and see if anything resonates----or rubs you the wrong way!  Then, bring those thoughts to our conversation on Thursday. 

Free TiG Handouts and Tutorials:  While they may not be particularly valuable for this conversation, anyone interested in teaching essential skills with technology might find this resource collection—which includes interactive versions of every handout in Teaching the iGeneration—valuable. 

Free Preview of Creating a Digital Rich Classroom:  Solution Tree has also provided a link to a free “look inside” of Meg Ormiston’s upcoming book, Creating a Digital Rich Classroom that includes the complete text of one chapter. 

Again, consider giving it a look before Thursday.  Not only will you get a sneak peek at what I’m sure is going to be a great resource, you’ll find ideas that are worth adding to our upcoming conversation with each other.

While the TiG Resource Collection is permanently available online, the links to download both books expire this Sunday, so be sure to sign up sooner rather than later if you’re interested in having your own free copies.

Here’s to hoping that you’ll join us from Thursday through Saturday.  Look for an introductory post here on the Radical on Thursday morning that officially kicks off our conversation.

See you then!

Voicethread Tips for Web 2.0 Conversation

As regular Radical readers know, we're in the middle of planning for an asynchronous conversation with digital change experts Adam Garry and Meg Ormiston (see here and here) who will be helping us to think about exactly what “teaching for tomorrow” looks like in action in Voicethread from August 26th through August 28th.

For those new to Voicethread, here are a few tips:

New Slide: Teaching the iGeneration

In preparation for our upcoming Voicethread conversation on teaching for tomorrow, I've been doing a bunch of thinking about today's kids----a group that I like to call the iGeneration.

They're an interesting bunch, aren't they?  Completely unintimidated by digital tools, increasingly globally aware and active, and insistent on having real opportunities to interact, they're almost always completely bored by the traditional classrooms that we've all come to know and love.  

And while they're comfortable using digital tools to get connected---heck, they check their Facebook profiles several times a day, send text messages like it's going out of style, and haven't played a video game alone in about a decade---I'm not sure that they totally understand the power of connections.

(Image Credit:  Project 365 Day 333 by Erin MCHammer)

Download Slide_UnderstandingConnections

Sure, they know how to network---have you watched any teenagers do their homework in the past dozen years?  They'll get three phone calls and have two instant messaging conversations going on all while trying to write an essay for English and to figure out a few algebraic equations for AP Calc.

And I'd bet that most use their networks for learning in informal situations all the time.  Figuring out the best way to blow through Halo 3 isn't exactly a task that you can do easily on your own, you know.  Hook up with a couple of online buddies, though, and it's a breeze. 

But I'm just not sure that they know how to leverage the power of their developing networks to learn in every situation----particularly the kinds of formal situations that schools and work environments reward.  In fact, I'm not even sure that they see their personal networks as tools for learning at all.  It's almost as if they've created barriers between their social and intellectual lives.

The hitch is that intellectual growth and learning of any kind is an inherently social act, isn't it? 

Wouldn't our students be better off if we systematically worked to help them to see their personal networks as learning tools?  And if no one bothers to introduce the concept of networked learning to our teens, are we confident that they'll discover it on their own someday?

Interesting stuff, huh?

And the kind of stuff that we'll wrestle with together from August 26-28 in Voicethread.  Mark your calendars and bring your minds, huh?  I'd love to see you there.  

Upcoming Conversation: Teaching for Tomorrow

By now, you've heard the tech buzzwords a thousand times, right?

"Students need to be prepared for the 21st Century," and "Web 2.0 tools should form the backbone of student-centered classrooms," have essentially become rallying cries for ed-reformers convinced that our schools are failing miserably. 

But "preparing students for the 21st Century" and "Web 2.0 tools" as the "backbone of student-centered classrooms" are almost never carefully defined terms, are they? 

That leaves us is a really sad place.  We know the need for change is urgent, but we're not all that sure what that change should look like in action.  Talk about a recipe for disaster!

That's why I'm completely jazzed to announce that Meg Ormiston, digital learning consultant and author of Creating a Digital Rich Classroom, and Adam Garry, manager of global professional learning for Dell Computers and my Teaching the iGeneration co-author, have decided to join me for a focused three-day Voicethread conversation on the characteristics of effective teaching for tomorrow that will take place August 26th through August 28th.

Not only am I certain that we'll be able to learn a ton from Meg and Adam---who have been helping teachers, schools, districts and states to imagine motivating learning environments for decades---I'm also certain that we'll be able to learn a ton from each other!

And that learning is essential.  It's high time that we begin to define the kinds of practical steps that schools can---and should---take to make sure that they're structuring meaningful learning experiences for our kids.

So spread the word about our conversation.  Encourage your principals to stop by and learn a bit.  Jump in and share what you know.  Commit yourself to three days worth of collective exploration and personal growth. 

It'll be worth it.  I promise! 

Here are some resources to get you started:

Free Download---Teaching the iGeneration:  Solution Tree has decided to make the complete contents of my newest book, Teaching the iGeneration, available for y'all to download and explore!  You'll have to sign up for a free Solution Tree account first---and the link is only live for the next two weeks---but consider checking TiG out.  Not only will it leave you prepared for our conversation, I'd love to hear what you think!

You can also access all of the handouts from TiG---and a series of tutorials designed to introduce several Web 2.0 tools---at this website.  

Free Download---Creating a Digital Rich Classroom Lookinside:  Solution Tree has also decided to make one chapter of Meg Ormiston's newest book---which isn't due to be published for another month or so---available for download.  Again, you'll have to sign up for a free Solution Tree account first, but Meg's work is worth it.  

Details on Voicethread Conversations:  Voicethread is one of the easiest---and most engaging---digital forums for discussions available to educators today.  It's a tool that my students have embraced completely (check out this conversation that they had about Darfur) and that I've used with teachers for conversations on Web 2.0, Grading, Reading Instruction and Professional Learning Communities. 

While I'm sure that you'll have no troubles mastering Voicethread, you might want to check out this post---written for an earlier conversation with PLC experts Rick and Becky DuFour---to learn more about what Voicethread conversations look like in action.  

And stay tuned in to the Radical for more announcements as we get closer and closer to August 26th.  I'm really looking forward to seeing what we'll learn together---and am convinced that we'll all walk away prepared to help our colleagues understand just what teaching for tomorrow is all about.   

(Blogger’s Note:  Even though I would have done it for free, Solution Tree—my publisher—is paying me a bit o’ cash from their marketing budget to moderate this conversation.  To learn more about my relationship with Solution Tree, read my nifty new disclosure policy.)

Intervention Conversation: Day 3 Summary

It’s hard to believe, but our focused three-day conversation with Rick and Becky DuFour—authors of Raising the Bar and Closing the Gap—is quickly coming to an end! 

This conversation has been unique to me because it was driven by a small handful of really bright minds.  While there weren’t dozens of participants, those who came engaged deeply:  asking and answering questions, challenging thinking and allowing themselves to be challenged.

The end result is a conversation that will challenge your thinking, too!  Take a few minutes exploring the summaries from the first and second days of our conversation and then poke through our thread online. 

You might also be interested in the comments that I found most interesting today:

On Slide 2, David C asks a really interesting question about essential outcomes when he writes, "Paring down the curriculum can be a bit tricky, though.  When we talk about 8-10 outcomes, how specific do we want an outcome to be? 

For example, a math teacher can determine an outcome to be "students can identify and apply linear relationships between two variables," but this outcome can involve multiple skills.  We can also break things down to the specific skills, but then 8-10 outcomes may be too narrow of a focus."