On Beyond Zebra! Transforming Learning Environments

Bebo and Diigo and Twitter, oh my! Sometimes at BLC08 I felt like I had walked out of reality and into a Dr. Seuss book. Here is an illustration I created using Wordle of what this strange new world looked liked:

This is, however, our student's new reality and thus ours. This new reality is a time of creating content, collaborating with others, and communicating globally.

So, how do we get started? As Ewan McIntosh said in his keynote, we need to understand participation culture, not the tools. He also spoke about the importance of working toward achieving shared awareness.

We should not be led by the tools, but by the issues we are trying address in our schools. What do we want our students to be able to do? How can these tools help us achieve our teaching goals and our student learning goals? The opportunities are as varied as the tools themselves.

Let's work together to rethink and reframe the conversation and in the process, transform our learning environments! And we will discover, as Dr. Seuss once exclaimed, "Oh the places you'll go!"

Initial Reflections from BLC08

Wow…my three days at the 2008 Building Learning Communities Conference certainly were thought provoking. My mind has been filled with exciting new teaching and learning opportunities and I am eager to explore some new tools with my teacher colleagues and students.

Trying to synthesize 11 sessions and 3 keynotes into a blog post is a daunting task. I do, however, want to capture some initial reflections.

Some words and phrases I heard a lot at BLC08: 21st-Century Learning, Web 2.0, communities, collaboration, partnerships, leadership, and vision. People spoke of the shifting role of the teachers and students and of the new literacies we must learn ourselves and teach our students. The importance of school culture and community engagement was discussed. And, as Pedro Noguera, Professor at the Steinhardt School of Education at New York University, stated in his powerful keynote lecture entitled "Changing the Culture of Schools: Creating Conditions that Promote Student Achievement," we must create a culture of high expectations in our schools.

I saw a number of videos illustrating the exciting opportunities and changes happening in education. One of my favorites was "Learning to Change/Changing to Learn" shown by Keith Kruger, CEO of the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) at his "Leadership & Vision That Enables Effective Use of Technology" session:



Simple visuals, yet strong message. Technology is not simply something we add to our current teaching practices, rather technology (as it continually morphs) and the synergy between technology and education means that we must change our fundamental beliefs and work.

That's it for now. Check back for future posting after I have more time to revisit some of the sessions virtually, reflect and rethink about the ideas presented, explore new tools, and share lessons learned.

Flipping Out Over Flip Video!

I hope everyone has been enjoying a glorious summer! I've been spending time with family and friends, catching up on my reading, puttering in my herb garden, and recharging my battery. The next three days I'll be at the Building Learning Communities 2008 conference, which is sure to stimulate and motivate me. Check back for more posts as I process all the sessions and keynotes.

Friends were visiting last week and they brought their new Flip Video camcorder. If you haven't seen it, check it out! It is compact and simple to use, stores files on internal memory, and uploads video to your computer via a built-in USB connector. The Flip Ultra has a record time of 60 minutes, 2 GB of on-board flash memory, comes in five fun colors, and is listed at just $150 (and I've seen it for less online!). The newest addition to the Flip Video product line, the Flip Mino, is the smallest yet – only 3.3 ounces!

For an amusing review of the Flip Ultra from David Pogue of The New York Times, read this article or watch this video:

A Flip Video would be a super easy way to capture video (interviews, projects, trips, etc.) and integrate them into the teaching and learning process. A Flip Video is definitely on my back-to-school wish list!