play makes learning powerful

I have a confession to make--I am determined to make this EDES 545 learning experience as powerful as possible for me---so that means I will learn by PLAY. In my experience, whenever I get my knickers in a knot about learning new technology, everything takes at least three times as long---sometimes more. Because of my, shall we say, vintage, technology has not always been my friend. However, I have learned a lot this last year from watching the high school students cram into Stelly's Secondary library where I work---they make a beeline for the computers--and where do they go to first?

They head for the social networking sites:Facebook, bebo, meebo. What they mostly look at is pictures of themselves and their friends. From this observation I know that using any photosharing site will have quite a bit of appeal for most high school students.

According to the 'rules of Stelly's library' students are NOT to be on these sites--mostly because it is assumed that if they're on bebo, they are not doing academic work. This is something I want to change--but I need to find the right person to collaborate with first, for what I have in mind. I want to work with the coolest First Nations teacher to design an assignment so that the FN students can legitimately be on the photosharing site. I want to use the technology to engage these students who don't have computers at home. These students want to do the same things the other kids are doing and I can imagine all kinds of powerful cultural presentations created on bebo/facebook/myspace....

I should back up here a little to talk about the make-up of Stelly's. Our school sits in the middle of farm fields,with the Saanich fairgrounds right across the street. Even though we are located only twenty minutes from downtown Victoria, BC we are a rural school. Our students come from both mutli-million dollar waterfront homes and four First Nations reserves. Some of our students regularly travel to Europe, and beyond, others don't ever leave the Peninsula. The diversity of our student composition is extreme.

I find myself especially drawn to befriend and support the students who don't have it all. So, back to bebo. The First Nations kids tend to use this site predominantly. I don't know why yet, but I want to design a project where they tell me why they should have access to this site.

Process piece

As I check the criteria one more time, I see that I am supposed to comment on why I chose blogger---I found it easy to use (and if I can use it it is very 'user-friendly!) I also participated in a blog discussion in a great Education course I took at University of Victoria last year,(Alternative Texts). I came to prefer the blog discussion over the classroom discussion, because some students didn't contribute much in person, but had brilliant insights and stories that they felt more comfortable contributing to the blog. Not everyone likes speaking in front of a herd of their peers---same deal with Pro-D, btw.

Finally, I am struggling with getting the RSS feed to show up on my blog, so I'll just keep plugging away at that or call in some more tech help for one of my kids!

born to blog?

I think I'm starting to get the fun part of playing with this technology. I must confess---I am a dyed in the wool letter writer. I got into email many years ago because I could connect with more folks, and hear back from them more quickly. I'm starting to see how blogs connect people. As I've spent time today fumbling around on my new mac, I've enjoyed reading everyone's blogs, including comments. Of course I've stopped to make a few comments of my own, and what I sense immediately is my feeling of isolation is disappearing. (First on-line course, remember). I can tell that if I just use this blog as an old-fashioned learning log, that alone will help me grow greatly in my willingness and ability to experiment with new technology possibilities.

I have a real interest in supporting those learners who are afraid to take a chance on something new--because they don't want to look stupid. As a secondary school teacher, I see the unrelenting anxiety of adolescence every day. The students who walk the halls with their faces set firmly in the 'don't look at me' stance. I see technology as something that allows students to get past some of that fear. Because so much of the technology involves stuff that the students are already good at--media manipulation-it is a chance for them to shine. That said, as I monitor the library, I spend a lot of time telling students to shut down Facebook and bebo, since they are not doing assigned work when they’re on those sites. I have yet to see a teacher give a ‘facebook assignment’…

I am very interested to learn more about ways social network sites can be used for educational purposes. I spent some time setting my Facebook page up the first week of this course. So far I really like receiving confirmations from young people I know that they are willing to be 'my friend'---but I'm pretty sure that if I'm on Facebook the kids are onto something else.

I love making connections with others, I love playing with language and ideas, and I love sharing what I've learned with students. Unlike most of the other members of EDES 545, I have not been in my own classroom for the past (many) years. I have been living the alternative lifestyle (i.e. one income) of an at-home Mom, running our household of 5, welcoming 20+ homestay students from around the world, creating connections in schools and the community. My classroom time was spent in the classrooms of my children’s teachers: as a volunteer. Volunteering got me started in the library as well, come to think of it.

As I reflect on the anxiety I feel every time I look at the volume of readings and tasks involved in this course I give my head a shake and say 'Perfectionist get thee gone from my head! This is a learning adventure. It's going to be fun!' I see my kids and the students at school enjoying technology. Both my sons make/edit movies for the sheer joy of expressing themselves creatively. Of course they would never say it that way, but using technology is a way of life for them and their peers, it's their way of telling the world who they are. I’m in hopes that it will become my way, too.

another day , another truckload of new technology

My new Macbook arrived yesterday. My very first, very own computer! Fittingly, I took it, in the box, to the home of my first born, Thomas,  for my first lesson on how to use it. 

  

Who knew he had such highly developed teaching skills? He patiently and articulately led me through the aforementioned truckload of new stuff. He intuitively knew to limit the amount of time we spent going over it all, ( i.e. we stopped before my head exploded). 

And here I am, mere hours later, posting this entry on my very own blog. 

I can tell that I'll need to run hard and fast to catch up to the rest of the EDES 545 class, but I'm pretty sure that learning by doing is (still) pedagogically sound.  

Now we're cooking!

As I jump into the world of technology I am competing for time at the computer with my teenage daughter. She has a project due tomorrow---I have a blog to create tonight! Solution, I am 'cooking up a blog' on the family room computer with two and a half men (sitcom) in the background, while my daughter writes in peace and quiet upstairs at my computer. Oh well, good training for a high school librarian.

I spend my days, at present, in the middle of a busy library, surrounded by stimulating, boisterous adolescents. There is a lot of noise and most days, lots of learning. Learning to think, compose, and produce coherent prose in the midst of chaos is a life skill required for 21st century living.