The Smackdown That Was

It's been far too long since I've blogged about anything. As a first year administrator I've found that many things I like to do don't rank very high on my priority list. However, after presenting a session on classroom blogging at our teachers' convention (twitter hashtag #seatca12) I felt compelled to get back into the habit.

After hearing about Web 2.0 Smackdowns at Edcamps and other conferences (ISTE 11) I decided to give one a try at our local convention. The basic idea of a smackdown is that participants become the presenters. It is a method for sharing web-based tools that teachers are using in their classrooms, schools or divisions. I was excited, but also nervous because I had a hard time finding information about how others structured these sessions. I also worried that because we hadn't done one before at the convention, only a handful of people would attend and, even worse, present. Luckily, my fears were not realized.

I started the session by polling the audience (polleverywhere.com) to see how many people had a site to share. This gave me a bit of an idea of how many tools I'd be presenting from me previously prepared slideshare (found here).

3 tools were introduced to begin the session that would be instrumental throughout the time. Resources were collected in a public Google Doc (found here) and tweeted out using the hashtag #seatcasmackdown. I also created a backchannel with Today's Meet for those who did not have Twitter. I was fortunate to have a friend, @MizMarrmalade (give her a follow), administrating the list and twitter feed.

Participants were great! Seven or eight participants presented their favourite web-based tools, along with examples of how they were being used in their schools. While many of us had seen these tools before, the greatest benefit came from sharing their educational uses (lots of A-HA moments). For a while, I was worried that I wouldn't get a chance to present any myself!

For the last 20 minutes, I was able to run through around 10-15 of my favourite web-based tools that I took out of my slideshare presentation (found here). The session was a success (at least that's how I felt)! Next year, maybe an App Smackdown?

Resources:
Web 2.0 Smackdown Presentation
Web 2.0 Seatca Smackdown List
Andy's Top 30ish Web 2.0 Tools

Public is the New Default

Has social media like Twitter and Facebook affected us in a good way or in a bad way? While this is up for debate, one thing is certain. Social media has changed society. It has clearly re-shaped the way we interact with others and has also helped our social circles transcend both time and distance. Do I really want to know what my grade 2 classmate is up to now?

The biggest effect that social media has had is just beginning to emerge and define itself - the changes to personal privacy boundaries. As we have begun to grasp the idea that anything posted on the Internet instantly becomes permanent (and in many cases the property of the hosting site), questions about our personal privacy (and property) have arisen. Do I really want all of my personal pictures to become a part of public record? Is it safe to "check in" to locations (via Foursquare and Facebook Places) to let people know my whereabouts at all times?



In the past, we led our lives in private, choosing what details of our lives we wanted to make public. With the evolution of social media, our lives are now public and we must choose what details we want to be private. Take, for instance, Facebook's current privacy settings. By default your personal information and images can be shared with others without your consent. You must actually modify those settings to protect and control your own information. Twitter is another example of how public our lives are. The US Library of Congress is digitally cataloging every public tweet since Twitter began.

I'm a huge fan of transparency, probably because I work in education, so the idea of having a public persona is not a big deal to me. I have nothing to hide (at least nothing I'll admit to). As an educator, we're held to a higher standard anyway (debate the validity of this amongst yourselves), so to me there is no difference between being "out in public" and being "online in public." Educators have a great understanding of the fine line between public and private because it is a regular topic of thought. This makes us perfect candidates for educating students on the subject, but I'll save that for another day.

Am I advocating shutting down your Twitter and Facebook accounts, banishing social media from your life? Absolutely not! I want to see the pictures you took on your trip to Romania last summer because I probably will never get to go there myself. I want to read those philosophical Tweets you come up with in the wee hours of the morning.


I say embrace social media and extend your social network, while remaining cognizant of which aspects of your life you're comfortable becoming permanently public. Worried about the negative? Be proactive with your digital footprint so people only find the positive.

Networking: A Valuable Form of PD

I attended and presented at 2 mini conferences this week, both of which showcased the value of peer-led professional development.

The first conference, put on by SAPDC, was directed towards CTS teachers. Knowing little about the CTS curriculums and programs offered, especially outside of our district, the conference brought some interesting points to light. First, and foremost, these teachers want more professional development opportunities specific to their programs. It also became clear that coordinating opportunities for CTS teachers was very difficult given the sheer number of areas that fit under the category of CTS, the need for specific facilities and the geographic distances between teachers. Through conversation, many of the teachers in attendance appreciated the opportunity to meet and network with other teachers throughout the South. It is perhaps these networking opportunities that could potentially yield the greatest benefit for our teachers.

Speaking of networking, I was delighted by the number of teachers who took up the call to join and use Twitter during our PD Day. Over 10% of our teachers joined in the conversation that happened throughout the day. As the day went on, the conversations began to deepen and push our thoughts as educators. I hope that these teachers will begin to build their PLNs and continue to explore using Twitter as an educational tool. I know that my PLN has helped me in a number of ways. Efficiency is the most obvious benefit. I don't need to search for resources or information because the people that I follow are doing that for me. They act as a filter, sorting through research, current trends, and resources so that I don't have to. And that happens without any participation on my part (other than reading). By participating in the conversation, I allow my beliefs and assumptions to become public, and be challenged by the beliefs and assumptions of others. This process allows you to further your understanding and knowledge of education.

Consider how influential master teachers have been on you. Through conversation they influence your beliefs and teaching practice. They offer timely advice and all the resources you could ask for. How many of these teachers have you known during your career? Five? Twenty? Fifty? Twitter will allow you to connect with this type of teacher worldwide, pushing that number in the thousands. You may even get to meet them in person sometime. Build your PLN.

Welcome Back!

"Up your nose with a rubber hose!"

- Vinnie Barbarino

Sorry. I couldn't find any inspirational words from Mr. Kotter. I hope everyone had a chance to relax and unplug over the summer. You never really realize how dependent on the Internet you've become until you are in the middle of nowhere with no service for an extended period of time. It was hard to shake the IAD (Internet Anxiety Disorder) although it was nice to re-connect with the sunshine once again.

Hopefully some of you had a chance to try out some of the many sites mentioned previously in Techronicity and begin building your PLN (Personal Learning Network) over the summer. If not, now is an especially great time to do so since it could save you hours of time in the future. Grasslands Public Schools is now on Twitter, under the username @GPS6. Grasslands is hoping to use Twitter as an effective messaging system to communicate important messages (such as school closures) with students and parents. Encourage parents to follow Grasslands!

Here is a sneek-peek at what is down the pipeline for Techronicity this year:

The 9 Elements of Digital Citizenship

Web 2.0 Tools for Teachers

Moodle

Smartboard Tips

I'll leave you with some motivational pictures:

Twitter? Surely, you can't be serious.

I am serious... and stop calling me Shirley!

Twitter is not what you may think it is. While you could get constant updates about what your favourite celebrity is having for lunch or what new music they're listening to, Twitter has evolved into an important educational tool that has many potential benefits for teachers and students. Not sure what Twitter is? Watch this video.

Today, I'll focus on the benefits of using Twitter as a part of your PLN. As a networking tool, Twitter helps you connect with educational experts across the globe. By "following" these experts, you can get real-time updates featuring things like new websites, blog posts or thought provoking comments. For me, Twitter has given the greatest return in terms of learning and professional development over any conference, workshop, website or program. I can directly pose a question to a number of educational experts in technology and receive a response within hours, sometimes minutes.

If you were to follow and be followed by colleagues in your district, Twitter could be an effective option for you to get resources to one another or have professional conversations. These resources and conversations could be taken further by connecting with educators from around the world, as you extend your PLN beyond your geographic location.

Give it a try and see what you think. Sign up for a Twitter account here. Search for my username: cunningandy. Follow me and receive my tweets. Take a look at the people I follow and choose to follow one or two of them. When you're ready to learn more, check out this website on twitter etiquette and twitter terminology (pay special attention to hashtags).

Check out the presentation below for more information on how to use Twitter as a professional development tool:


Twitter for Teachers- a Professional Development Tool

Never Search for Websites Again!

Many teachers ask me if I spend hour upon hour searching through websites to find ones that are great for the classroom. The answer is NO! In fact, even though I create links to more and more websites all the time, I actually haven't searched for specific websites in months. They come to me. How, you ask? Through my PLNs.


PLNs (or personal learning networks) are defined in this blog as:

"the entire collection of people with whom you engage and exchange information, usually online."

Originally used by people who were actually colleagues in person (ie: our Moodle) the Internet and rise in social media have forced the evolution of what PLNs are. Now you can discuss and share with colleagues from around the world.


There are many ways in which you can build or develop a PLN, but the easiest way to get involved or become a part of one is to try out established PLNs such as The Educator's PLN, Classroom 2.0 or Smartboard Revolution. You'll notice all of these sites were created using a web-tool called Ning. Ning is a place where you can create your own specialized PLN and features free accounts for educators.


Ning is one of many different ways you can be a part of or create your own PLN. Other places you can establish PLNs are Facebook, Blogs, Delicious, Diigo, Wikis and Twitter. If you have not signed up for these services yet, take some time to do so. They can make your life as an educator much more efficient and finding resources less time consuming.


Over the next few weeks I will profile each of these networking services and include tips to help you make use of them not only as a learning tool for you, but also as a learning tool for students in your classrooms.