Author: Daneah

@cnslingnomad

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Just a tool…grrr

December 9, 2009 by 1 Comment

Lately, I have found myself wondering about something…I even made the mistake of bringing it up to Jeff, and you know how he likes to talk about everything and anything to do with technology!

Often in our face to face classes we have the discussion around why we are using technology, to what purpose and what gain. Over and over again I hear teachers argue against the necessity of using technology because “it’s just a tool.” At first I bought into that same idea, it is just a tool that you can use to enhance learning and/or engage our learners. For years I agreed with that idea, even used that same argument myself from time to time. Recently, however, I find myself bristling when someone says “but it is just a tool!”

At some point, and I’m not sure when, technology became more than ‘just a tool.’ A tool is something that you can know how to use but maybe you don’t need to know how to use it and you can still live a full, successful life. When is the last time you heard an intelligent, successful individual convincingly argue that in this day and age, technology learning can be voluntary for students? A tool is something that helps us and makes a job easier, and yes, technology does do that (well, most of the time for most of us anyway!). So it IS a tool…but it’s not just a tool. When did that last ‘tool’ you learned to use completely change the way you thought, the way you saw your world, the way you interacted with others? Did those other ‘tools’ demand a paradigm shift in thinking? Did they inspire movements and a call to redefine what teaching and learning mean?

So no, I don’t buy that anymore, that technology is just a tool. I only have to look at my students to know for sure. Their parents can yell at them, ground them, punish them in all sorts of creative ways-but if you take away their ‘connections’, their cell phones and computers, life suddenly comes to a screeching halt. Living without their technology is unfathomable. And interestingly, I had a father tell me his daughter was grounded the other day because she left the house with out her cell phone…so much for ‘just a tool.’

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Who’s job is it anyway?

November 16, 2009 by 1 Comment

IMG_7832This is a question that pops up continually in discussions around technology in education. The ongoing debate about who’s job it is to make sure that the technology standards are being met is one that doesn’t have an answer that everyone can seem to agree on. I wrote a blog post earlier that touched on this a bit.

One of the interesting things that came up in our discussion was people in my group questioning whether or not we actually needed to have technology standards and benchmarks. We looked at ISTE’s NETS and also the AASL standards. Some individuals are wondering if this isn’t something that should just be inherent in an educator’s teaching. If a school’s philosophy is that technology is an integral part of a child’s learning, a teacher coming to work for that school should understand that and embrace it. The teacher would then incorporate technology into his/her teaching practice.

IMG_7708I agree that in an ideal world, this is what would be happening. There wouldn’t be a need to specify the standards and benchmarks necessary in technology. Yet, somehow I don’t think we are there yet. There are still educators that either have not ‘bought in’ to the idea of technology and/or don’t have the training or ability to teach their students the necessary skills. Until using technology becomes inherent in our teaching, I do think there is still a need to delineate exactly what the expectations are for students’ learning. Especially if we believe students having these technology skills is important to their success in further education and life.

So asking who’s job it is…knowing that realistically it is everyone’s job…how do we ensure that kids are coming out of school with the skills they need to be successful in today’s digitally connected, global society? I don’t think there is an easy and simple way to do this. IMG_7710I do think one way of attempting to make sure these skills are being taught is by creating (or adopting) standards and benchmarks that address these skills. I see these standards and benchmarks as being incorporated into the regular education classroom with the support of a technology facilitator. So for those teachers who are comfortable with integrating technology into their regular lessons, it’s an easy solution. For those teachers that need more support, they have a resource to turn to and ensure their students as well are learning the necessary skills for success (and hopefully the teachers are too!). We see schools hiring literacy coaches and math coaches to support their teachers, shouldn’t technology also be one of those areas that schools provide the necessary support to ensure kids are getting what they need?

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Final project…finally!

November 8, 2009 by 4 Comments

OS crewWell, I had to ask for an extension of my final project-but I did have a good reason! My aim was for my final project to be something that I really wanted to do, something that had a purpose beyond just meeting my course requirement. I had finally settled on doing something that did have value-but I was having a hard time getting excited about it. Then, just as life often tosses us a surprise, an opportunity presented itself.

I found myself agreeing at the last minute to take 9 Middle School Students on a three day trip to Surin, Thailand. This trip involved a six hour bus ride each way, two nights in a hotel, and coordinating with another organization. This organization was Operation Smile.

For all of my reluctance and last minute stress, I am so glad that life did throw me this little surprise. This was an amazing trip with a phenomenal group of students. Each of these kids in his or her own way touched the lives of children and families during an incredibly emotional experience. From the screening day of trying to navigate hundreds of people asking for surgery for their children, to the surgical ward on the day surgeries started, to actually standing next to the doctors in the operating room while the surgeries were being performed…these kids showed that they were there to support these children and families in need.

So my final project is a video created, with a link to the donation website, that hopefully will encourage some to also reach out and touch these children’s lives. I know my life has been touched by this experience. Not just by the children and families needing surgery, but also by my students.

Thank you “Carl Jr” (Chris) for tirelessly blowing the bubbles and patiently tossing the ball-you brought laughter and smiles everywhere you went. Thank you “Dr.” Owain for not only being gentle with the kids needing surgery, but also for caring about the other kids on our trip-and for insisting that you wanted to create a video all on your own, it is amazing! Thank you Sanjana for your quiet smile that helped ease the kids’ fears and for putting their needs before your own. Thank you Ciel for translating for us, the doctors, the kids, and the families-those little ones will always remember the duck duck goose games and joy you brought into their lives (and now you, too, have added your own phenomenal video that spreads the message!). Thank you Julie for your quiet curiosity and your willingness to do whatever was asked of you-your patience is remarkable. Thank you Liana for being the ‘crazy sticker girl’ and even when you were tired, still finding the energy to jump and play ball to make the kids smile and laugh. Thank you Becky, for sharing your creativity and kindness-when you reached out to gently hold the hand of an unknown elderly woman waiting for surgery, it showed the depth of compassion you hold in your heart. Thank you Siska, for truly feeling the sadness of others and wanting to bring joy into people’s lives-you really see others’ pain and you reach out with a heart full of love. Thank you Tasha for being so incredibly full of love and joy that just being near you brought the same feelings to the children and families you touched-you have a heart of gold. You all touched lives-you made our world a better place.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PdVPwgnq2E[/youtube]

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I hear you…and I SEE you!

October 31, 2009 by 3 Comments

As I was reading and learning about screencasting, I found myself wondering about some things. The article “7 things you should know about Screencasting” started me thinking…

Screencasts can be thought of as podcasts of a computer monitor. Podcasts are easy-to-make audio files that can be edited and distributed online. Screencasts capture the feeling of personal connection that podcasts provide, with the added benefit of video to see what is being discussed. And, like podcasts, screencasts can be easily distributed through blogs and other Web pages.

I found myself wondering, as we’ve been discussing visual literacy, if people are taking advantage of the simplicity and versatility of screencasts. One of my favorite podcasts, Chinesepod.com, was one that I listened to while living in Shanghai to try and expand my knowledge and ability with Mandarin (which is so painfully tonal and when you are tone deaf that makes life very difficult…and unfortunately Thai has even MORE tones than Mandarin, just my luck). While trying to learn more Mandarin-well, actually when trying to learn anything-I have found that seeing words helps me tremendously. I am a visual learner; I can learn other ways, but visual cues help significantly. Even when I’m trying to learn someone’s name, writing it down or asking how it is spelled for the mental imagery helps.

So, when trying to improve my Mandarin, I did like listening to Chinesepod.com, but I also found that having a piece of paper to write the words as I heard them helped me to retain more of the language I was learning through the podcast. I now find myself wondering if Chinesepod.com were to create screencasts in lieu of/or addition to their podcasts, if this might make the learning even more versatile for all of the auditory and visual learners out there? In my brief search, the only screencasts I found them using were in their help section with tutorials on FAQ, etc. Of course, if you pay for the subscription, you have access to more materials. My question is, if screencasts are so simple and easy to make, why aren’t those offered like the free podcasts?

On a positive note, I did find in my search a Thai language learning site, Learn Thai Podcast, that did offer some free Thai language lessons and included a written transcript with each lesson. Maybe that will help my Thai language learning (not likely, remember MORE tones than Mandarin? Sigh.) I do wonder if these sites will start offering screencasts in lieu of podcasts with the plethora of video iPods and iPhones and similar devices currently in use. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only person left in the world without an iPod/iPhone!

It will be interesting to watch and see if more of the people using podcasts begin to utilize screencasts…for visual learners like me, I know I’d like to see that happen!

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Drag and drop-gotta love it!

October 22, 2009 by 3 Comments

Okay, so here it is. My first solo video project…and by solo I mean without Jeff’s help! He was so proud, even though it really is NOT a great video, because I genuinely did the entire thing on my own (well, Mary did have to help me find the ‘export’ button under share-that’s a stupid place to put it anyway, so not intuitive!).

Before anyone makes fun of my first solo attempt, I need to clarify how this came about. I was told in our face to face class I had to practice making a video, do something to get familiar with the program (iMovie 09). So I was handed a little camera and told to create something in the next hour or so.

I decided to take myself for a walk around the school, avoiding the numbing air con was my primary motivation. I began walking and filming with a grandiose idea of creating a video about a journey. I imagined myself narrating with some brilliant philosophical insights into the twists and turns of life’s path. All the while I was filming I was narrating in my head.

Upon returning with my inspired video shots all revolving around this concept…I then began to understand that I would have to record my voice and post this on the Internet. Sigh. Now not only would I have to have my face and written words out there (due to our blogging requirement for this class) but now I would also have my voice out there for the world to hear as well. Ummm…not ready for that yet. As I wrote about in my first blog post, I do not have the desire to be center stage!

So, I quickly reworked my brilliant concept (so NOT brilliant really) and turned it into something a bit different, something that did not require MY voice. And I will say I was also proud of myself, not because I think the video is any good, but because I did do it on my own! Not that I have any illusions as to what this says for my tech skills-it really is a testimony to how easy iMovie 09 is to use. Drag and drop has got to be a girl’s best friend!

[quicktime]http://www.daneahgalloway.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/road.mov[/quicktime]

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Selling the message

October 22, 2009 by 0 Comments

I found myself thinking after reading David Jakes’ post from May of 2008…which is what a good blog post should do-get you to thinking. David said in his post:

Emotion, depicted through visual means, sells the message.

This is what we’ve been talking about in this class at great length. Emotion is what sells our messages. Using visual imagery (whether it be photos or videos) is a way to help ‘sell our message.’ Looking back at a previous post talking about International School Brussels ‘brochure without words’ that is exactly what they were after. ISB wanted you to feel something when you looked at their brochure. Sitting around a table with a group of colleagues discussing the imagery in the brochure was an interesting experience. Each of us sitting there had responded strongly emotionally to different parts of the brochure…yet we all consistently responded emotionally (in a positive way) to what was trying to be communicated.

David goes on in his post to talk about the power of visuals and how this now gives us (and our students) a competitive voice.

Visuals, when combined with other multimedia, provide individuals with a competitive voice. One that can be heard. One that can be measured. One that says “here I am, and here’s what I think, here is what I have to contribute. Now what do you think?” Kids have meaningful things to say, so challenge them to produce visual content with purpose and with pride. Help kids understand that the world is more connected then ever, and that producing visual content like this becomes even more powerful…

In education we constantly talk about how to engage our students, how to make learning meaningful for them. This is how we do it; we provide them with that ‘competitive voice’ that David was talking about. Understanding this new digital age comes with not just understanding the connectedness of our world, but also grasping the power that each individual has to leave her mark on that same world. Utilizing visual means, we have the ability to let our voices be heard and to sell our message.

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Less is more

October 8, 2009 by 1 Comment

2252338216_0ce0f5d73c_b1I met with a student the other day who said to me “I didn’t finish my Powerpoint presentations because I was SO confused!” He went on to explain that in one class they are working on creating presentations in Powerpoint using more of a Presentation Zen style-minimal words, powerful visual imagery, etc. But then in his other class where he was supposed to create another Powerpoint, he was instructed to include a lot of information in the Powerpoint. Now this is a student who struggles with following directions anyway, but add to that two directly conflicting sets of instructions on two very similar assignments…he was doomed!

Seeing presentations done in a more ‘Zen’ style certainly helps convince me that they are more interesting and informative. Yet the concern has been raised that as educators, especially in International Schools, we routinely are working with individuals who’s native language is not English. Does the same concept apply then? Using minimal words/texts on a slide is great for me, a native English speaker, but if I were trying to follow a presentation in a language that I am not a native/fluent speaker of, I’m not so sure it would have the same effect.

I think being aware of your audience and the purpose behind what you are trying to communicate are key factors when utilizing any presentation style. Garr Reynolds, who blogs about professional presentation design, writes about when he’s asked what is a ‘good’ Powerpoint:

So much depends on how the visual is placed within the context of the presentation, and the content and objectives of that particular presentation are of paramount concern. Without a good knowledge of the place and circumstance, and the content and context of a presentation, it is impossible to say this is “appropriate” and that is “inappropriate.”

1483289796_ce342252b5_oGoing back to my confused student above, the class that wanted more information on the Powerpoint was a Modern Language class-where students are not native speakers of the language they are learning/presenting in. The class that wanted a more ‘Zen’ like design was his Humanities class. This goes back to again understanding the purpose and audience for whom the presentation is intended. I feel, too, that there is a personal preference and expertise that comes into play as well. I know for me (who hates doing presentations passionately) I prefer to have a bit more information on a slide to support, inform, and (maybe a bit) distract from looking/listening to me! I also think it is about changing the way we’ve always done things. We’re moving away from the Powerpoints with listed bulleted items (gotta love the bullets, the check marks were my favorite) and moving towards a simpler, more visual presentation style. This change comes with time and an understanding why this style can be a more effective way to communicate. My guess is even people who do a lot of presenting (Jeff and Kim) started out slowly until they developed and expertise of utilizing this visual imagery style of presenting. The rest of us are coming along…maybe a bit more slowly and reluctantly, but we’re coming!

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Impressions

October 7, 2009 by 2 Comments
Vast Emptiness
Vast Emptiness

I love the topic of visual imagery and how it impacts communication. It brings me back to my very first Psychology class my sophomore year in high school discussing subliminal messages. I can recall being fascinated and appalled all at the same time. I remember thinking to myself ‘does this really work?’ And the more I studied it, the more I realized it did.

I have for years spent a good chunk of time focusing on communication skills with my students. A large portion of our time is spent on a lot of nonverbal stuff. We even talk about how the clothes you wear and how you do your hair tells people something about you…all visual imagery.

One of the neatest things I’ve seen in some time is International School Brussel’s idea of having a “brochure without words.” There is some powerful visual imagery. What I found important, though, was that the pictures were full of impact in and of themselves-but without the carefully chosen words added, I think the essence of what was trying to be communicated would have been diluted. I felt the combination of some very careful word choice, keeping it minimal, and then some excellent pictures worked together to create a powerfully moving package. So much so that when my friend and I looked at it we were ready to pack up and move to that school!

ISB Impressions

We have for a long time manipulated visual imagery to enhance our communication-or to convince others of a point of view or belief. Now we are in an age where this can be done faster, easier, and even more powerfully. Whereas before the lay person was not able to readily create imagery for a variety of reasons, now anyone with access to technology and some simple programs can find ways to manipulate imagery to serve her purpose. Done correctly, absolutely this can enhance communication…but it can also detract from it if done poorly!

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Seeing is believing

September 26, 2009 by 1 Comment

The idea of visual literacy is one that’s been around for quite some time. In this new era of being inundated with visual media at each and every turn, teaching skills of visual literacy suddenly become of paramount importance.

In reading Erin Riesland’s Visual Literacy in the Classroom, some things that she wrote jumped out at me:

Although the definition of literacy remains a hotly contested topic among educators and researchers, it is hard to deny that technology is driving the debate. While reading and writing will most likely remain at the heart of standard literacy education, educators should reconsider what it means to be literate in the technological age.

Additionally, she goes on to say:

Advertisers understand how to reach youngsters (and really, just about anyone) far better than educators. Professional visual communicators hold the power when communicating in the modern media image-centric environment.

This is something that educators have been talking about for quite a while. What does literacy mean now, in this digital age? How do we teach our kids about literacy when we are still trying to understand what it means ourselves?

Just defining visual literacy can prove to be a daunting task. I found this site that offered up a myriad of quotes and definitions about visual literacy. This quote summed up my feelings about visual literacy fairly well:

“Each of us reacts to the picture on the basis of our own sensitivity, culture, intelligence, mood and passion. What is more, the interpretation of one and the same photograph will be different at different times. A photograph produced today will offer a different impact tomorrow. Even the place where the photograph is seen can dictate our reactions. A photograph published in a gossip weekly cannot have, a priori, the same impact as a photograph on display in a museum or of another printed in a sophisticated book. The environment where the photograph appears may determine our reading of it.” (Source:
Grazia Neri from “Ethics and Photography”)

This is an important component when looking at visual literacy. Using this explanation of visual literacy, do we teach this to our students and make sure they understand it?

Frank Baker, a well-known media educator, writes about students and media literacy:

Many of our students believe everything they see–including digitally altered images sent to them online.

These are all ideas that we need to be aware of as we take on the task of educating our students to be prepared for this new age of literacy. We also need to begin to understand how we ‘see’ visual media ourselves.

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You and us, me and we

May 6, 2009 by 3 Comments

I came across this quote from Larry Smarr, a physicist and leader in scientific computing, supercomputer applications, and Internet infrastructure. This quote struck me, especially in light of the recent events involving swine flu around the world.

“Having a wiki world, and having an ability to instantaneously set up mass collaboration, you can solve problems on a time scale that’s going to matter. So if we start having a bird flu pandemic, or if global warming continues to accelerate, we may not have the luxury of what I think of today as the slow speed of coming to answers for the challenges confronting the human race. And so the idea of being able to apply all the brains on the planet to a time urgent situation is something that we are going to look back on and be really glad that we figured out how to do because otherwise it’s going to be too late.”

cimg6017Sometimes when I stop and think about what all this means, I start to feel overwhelmed with it all. The idea of what mass collaboration means today can leave me feeling utterly exhausted with the sheer immensity of what it would, and could, look like. Then add in the idea of preparing students for a world of mass collaboration…and it’s almost more than one person can think about. I guess it’s a good thing then we have the ability to think about it collaboratively on a massive scale!

In an article titled Mass collaboration: Harnessing the power of global ideas, the author writes:

The trend of you continues.
You were the person of the year in 2006, chosen for Time magazine’s annual honour.
You are also the focus of a new book by Toronto’s own Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams about mass collaboration: Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything.

weMy initial reaction to this was maybe it’s time for the ‘person’ of the year to be “us” instead of “you.” If we’re talking about mass collaboration, maybe we need to start thinking about the idea of we instead of me. Dana wrote something similar on her blog post about the idea of mass collaboration and how she could see individual egos being problematic in some situations. I, too, wonder how all of this will pan out in the long run. Will it be easier for students who grow up with the idea of mass collaboration to put aside individual egos? A bunch of us were just discussing the other day that we felt our generation (raised mostly in the eighties) was very much a ‘me’ generation, all about getting what ‘I’ want and need. Will these next generations see things differently because that’s just the way it has always been for them?

Not that I don’t think those of us raised in different generations can’t embrace this new way of being. Dana wrote on her blog:

I have recently worked on an amazing new project called the Connected World with three colleagues. We have never worked better together, and when you combine the skill set of the four of us, you have one powerhouse of a teacher. Together we have created a curriculum that is so engaging to teach. I love going to work and learning as much as my students every day.

This is what it is all about. This is collaboration at its finest. Let’s take this idea, and expand upon it even further. What if these four amazing teachers shared their ideas with four more amazing teachers? And those new teachers did the same? And so on and so forth and pretty soon, massive amounts of teachers feel the way Dana feels. And these super happy and excited teachers are impacting hundreds and thousands of kids.

My hope is that we will all come to embrace and appreciate this age of collaboration. I know my fingers are crossed that we will be able to prepare kids properly for the world of mass collaboration. I have a sneaking suspicion that they are already well on their way to understanding it all by themselves anyway!