Clay Shirky Speaks on Institutions vs. Collaboration and How Social Media Can Make History and I Respond

Before entering into this graduate program I considered myself a pretty tech savvy, socially progressive person. I had heard of social networking, but really was not into that medium at all. Although, alot of business people and businesses themselves have found ways to make platforms such Twitter and Facebook work for them, I never bothered to investigate those tools. Every week, everyday I am in this program I learn more and more about how much I hadn't thought about, didn't know about or had simply ignored. What a journey, I love it! Let's talk about TED and the videos of Clay Shirky...

Institutions vs. Collaboration
This video really made me think about several ideas that have been brewing in my head for some time. One, how can anyone really place a value on the importantance of the contributions of others? This question has driven me to reevaluate the way I assess and "grade" group work. Most educators I have talked to still view collaborative work from the standpoint of an institution and thus give students grades based on "how much" they contribute to their group project, instead of what they contribute. Is this fair? Could that one student who the teacher may consider to be the slacker in the group be the one with the most problem solving ability? Should this one student who received many complaints from other group members about not doing his or her part over the course of weeks, but figured out why (x-4c)+7-3=k/r and kept the entire project from being a failure the day before it was due earn a failing grade? I don't think so.

In this video, Clay Shirky use the example of a Microsoft executive and his critism of Linux developers and contributors. This executive devalued the validity and worth of a system that allows people to contribute one piece or many pieces to the ongoing development or growth of a product. He is thinking from the perspective of someone who values "institutions" over "collaboration". Could leaders who put more emphasis on the institution rather than the benefits of the collaborative skills of individuals be resisting what seems to be a new norm? Maybe they are, but as an educator preparing students for the 21st Century, I can not afford to.

Can Social Media Make History
Yes it can and already has. Shirky spoke about how Twitter and other forms of social media can change the way news is reported and by whom using the examples of a major earthquake in China and President Obama's election. He explained how the reporting of major news or infraction of the rights and wrongs of people can be broadcasted to the world by anyone anywhere at anytime. This new way of communicating globally comes because of the development of many types of personal technology. He also shared that in one such case, ideas for using technology this way didn't start from the places most of us would have expected, but started in a place where the need and desire to empower people fulfilled an appetite for transparency. This spark grew into a flame in Nigeria where political corruption was feared during a 2007 election and now has spread into a blaze all over.

This knowledge emcompasses how I envisioned the world changing as people grew in their desire to control their own circumstances and protect their rights. The examples he used also point to the strength of collaboration when needed to overcome what is considered to be a threat from "institutions". As a yound person learning my place in the world, I use to dream about movements such as these to help people across the globe. I wanted to be a part of a global community that respected all people and spoke up when that respect was violated. This desire is what prompted me to major in Mass Media Communications in undergraduate school. It is comforting to know that although I have left that field and industry behind, the movement continues and that everyone can be a part of it, even my students.

CEDo525 - My Review of Online tools and Resources

Online tools and resources are fun to use and helpful when presenting information in a visual representation of concepts. I reviewed and compared three online tools Webspiration, Bubbl and Exploratree. All three were visually appealing and offered the ability to use a template or create from a blank form. Webspiration, which is a product offered by the same company that developed the offline graphic organizing tool Inspiration, is in its public beta phase of development before it becomes available through subscription. It was fairly easy for me to use, and similar to Inspiration and Kidspiration, but allows online collaboration. It also allows users to organize ideas in a diagram or outline format.

Bubbl and Exploratree were also new to me, but did not have the same familiar feel as Webspiration. I found Bubbl easy to use and just as visually pleasing to the eye as Webspiration. It was also easy to maneuver and redistribute concepts. Exploratree had many options for the appearance of diagrams depending on the purpose its being used for. I found Exploratree more difficult to use when typing or changing ideas. My choice in order of preference would be Webspiration and Bubbl. Exploratree would come in a distant third.

Setting Objectives, Cues-Questions and Advance Organizers, Homework and Practice ... My Reflection

As I progress through another class, I am allowed to look at my instructional practices inside my classroom. This time my reflection gives you a look at a time when setting objectives and using Cues, Questions and Advanced Organizers and Homework and practice worked well in my class. In a previous blog post I discussed setting objectives and how allowing students to own their learning produces better results. In this post I will give you a window into a time when I was teaching my students to use Excel and what they did that surprised me.

I asked students to choose two cities and track the amount of precipitation for those cities over the course of three weeks. Additionally, they were also to compare the precipitation for the same two cities during the same month for the previous year. I was pleased with the results. This was a lesson I did when I taught computer technology class in the computer lab and used for students with students in grades 4 through 8.

The more advanced students in the 4Th and 5Th grades were able to create a table to compare the amounts of precipitation for their cities and actually chose to track information for more than two cities. They then became assistants in the class and helped the other students with creating their tables and explored features I hadn't taught them to use. The sixth through eighth graders did this with ease and went on to find other products they could create with the information they gathered about their cities while tracking the amounts of precipitation.

Why did it go well? I believe this went well because I set a very clear objectives from the beginning and the students understood them. They realized when they were meeting the objectives and were able to gage their own progress. Once they had met the outlined objectives they felt free to explore, learn on their own and share what they learned and taught themselves. I loved this... my students did too.

My Response to Focus on effectiveness: Setting objectives

After reading this article I have a better understanding of why some of my students may struggle with meeting the objectives I have set for them. I have sometimes set the objectives without communicating with them and allowing them to participate in the process. Although most times my objectives have not been too narrow, they have been my objectives and forgot about goals my students may have needed to set for themselves.

It would make sense to allow them to set sub-goals as a way to take ownership of their learning. According to this article, research shows that students perform better when they do take part in the process of setting their learning objectives and goals. It also points out that learning objectives should not be too specific because it may limit the learning of students. This would happen when students loose the connection between other related information that may also be important because it was not mentioned as a part of a broader objective or goal.

As, a teacher working with multiple grades, teaching multiple subjects and planning effective lessons to include multiple skill levels is very important, but very difficult at times. When I set objectives, I may set them too broad so that I can try to include as many students as possible for time's sake. This is not most effective way to teach. What is my next step in my personal effort to reform and improve strategies? Well, first I will go back to working with my students the way I did before our district and school funding became so tight.

I will make and take time to meet with my students and make them a part of the collective process of planning their learning activities. I will ask them for feedback on the lesson to find out whether or not their objectives were met and how I could better help them meet their specific learning needs. I will forget that I am expected to worry about the many district level and state level tests that they have to take. I will make sure that they are actually learning based on what their needs are and keep teaching them that education is a mutual responsibility type of journey.

"The principles of teaching", what are they and how do they effect the way I teach?

After reading about the teaching principles as outlined in the article from the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence, I was impressed with how clearly the connections between the principles were made. I thought about some of these principles and how I could better apply them.

One of the principles, acquiring relevant knowledge about students and using that knowledge to inform our course design and classroom teaching, explains how getting to know our students before we plan our curriculum is very important. To practice this principle more effectively I could modify the student interest survey that I usaully use the first day of school. Instead of simply asking about what their favorite color is, I can ask questions to help me determine their strongest learning styles. This data will useful when planning cooperative groups and assessments.

I could also give this survey to students before they actually arrive, so that the first day of school is much more meaninful for them. This will give me an opportunity to have prepared activities that are taylored for them based on their responses to the questions on the survey.

Final Thoughts about CEDo 520

"It's worth it," these are the words that repeat themselves in my head over and over again, thanks to one of my classmates affirming me as I questioned my struggle through the last days of this class. This class and all of the classes I experienced through out the last few months have all been "worth it". They have been worth the late nights, early mornings and the juggling of work, school and everything else that life happening brings.

What nougats do I bring away from this class? There were a few, but one of the most critical lessons dealt with defining my needs for and evaluating internet resources.
During this course I modified an instrument for evaluating websites or internet resources that my colleagues, students and I can use. This tool is important because I want to teach my students how to evaluate the websites that they visit and I can start by using this form as a model. I actually have something tangible to and helpful for immediate use. Students will be able to help me compile a working list of websites that they find helpful, and just as important those that they don't. I can investigate which type of resources they prefer and possibly gain an understanding of why they are more comfortable with some resources more than others.

Additionally, I learned how to use Internet resorces like Google Alerts and Noodle Tools to help me locate information in a systematic way. This will help save me time in searching for information and help bring them to my fingertips. I can create Google Alerts to be notified when new information is posted or made available on the Internet about topics I am interested in. Noodle tools gave me another "tool" for organizing my search for resources with more efficiency.

What I treasure most about learning experiences is being able to use what I learn to help myself or others. With what I have learned in this course and the other courses I have taken so far, I can help my students, colleagues and myself. I have already had several "aha" moments and I am looking forward to many more.