Group items tagged

“I have been here for about two months now and am enjoying the challenge. Much of what we are faced with in education is the same, but there is the international context that is terribly interesting. One of the characteristics of this system is that the high school is stuck, much like many of our high performing suburban high schools in the U.S. And as such, I’m pushing them to get outside of their own comfort zone and challenge old assumptions to do something different. As a result I am going to take a small R&D core team from the high school to do a ‘walk-about’ and look at some of the best practices of true high school reform.”

Spend your early time on Twitter following important educational hashtags:

Persuade colleagues to join Twitter with you

Remember that you build relationships in Twitter one good deed at a time

Courses should encourage open participation and meaningful engagement with real audiences where possible, including peers and the broader public.

Students have the right to understand the intended outcomes--educational, vocational, even philosophical--of an online program or initiative.

n an online environment, teachers no longer need to be sole authority figures but instead should share responsibility with learners at almost every turn.

Taking advantage of a network of curators working for you (building your own customized network), consuming their curated information Collecting, organizing, connecting, attributing, interpreting, summarizing the vast amount of information that comes across your desk/ feed /books/articles/etc.  for YOURSELF! Becoming consciously the curator for others for a particular niche, area of expertise or interest. Disseminate resources, add value, put in perspective, create connections, present in a different light/media/language. Real time curation allows you to be part of an event, that you physically might not be attending or being on the opposite end allows you to be the bridge for others to participate at an event where you are present, but your network is not.

We are aware of how much we don't know: that we have yet to explore the full pedagogical potential of learning online, of how it can change the ways we teach, the ways we learn, and the ways we connect.  

As we begin to experiment with how novel technologies might change learning and teaching, powerful forces threaten to neuter or constrain technology, propping up outdated educational practices rather than unfolding transformative ones.

All too often, during such wrenching transitions, the voice of the learner gets muffled.

Librarians have the highest level of participation in online social networking sites, with 89 percent participation;

Women have slightly higher rates of participation in social networks than men;

conference organizer will ask you to make a presentation, and while doing something different and creative - and effective - should be welcomed by all, we retreat to doing only what is expected (less downside that way) rather than doing something creative, different, and engaging. After all, doing what is expected is pretty easy, but surpassing expectations and doing something remarkable with impact is both harder (usually) and comes with an increased risk of failure.

Even when we give people a mile and encourage creativity and nonconformity, it still seems like too many play it safe and take only an inch. I can't help but think that the habits learned in formal schools across the world at least in part contribute to this cautious approach to doing things differently.

No longer is newsletters, calendar of events, e-mails and other one-way communication enough for schools. Great school communities inspire great conversations.

“Everything I blog also shows up on Facebook, Twitter, School Website, and Google Plus – it’s not hard to have things post simultaneously.” Remember, a hardcopy is still necessary for some families.

It is important to diversify your PLN. Put people around you who cause you to think differently. People who are straightforward and willing to connect in uncomfortable conversations. Those who say what they mean and mean what they say