Archive for November, 2006
The amazing thing about the Internet is not only how fast information can be dispersed, but also the profusion of information available. I’m learning new skills daily as I navigate in the Information Age. When I’m looking for information on a topic I follow this basic template: gather, sift, sort & synthesize. Although the basic idea of moving through information may be the same as during the Industrial Revolution, there are new tools and considerations for this new age.
Gather
- When searching for information on-line use search words intelligently. For example, if I want to learn about enlightened teaching, I might start with enlightened teaching. If that doesn’t yield results, I would do similar words like compassionate teaching or education compassion.
- Add or delete words from your query depending on what type of, or how much, information is retrieved. I could be more specific and look for teaching compassion strategies.
- Sometimes you want specific information. Putting words in quotes will find only results where those words come together. For example waldorf education and “waldorf education” will not produce the same results. Waldorf education (without quotes) could look like “waldorf salad made in a consumer education class”. Whereas “waldorf education” will definitely be about waldorf schools.
Gathering also requires a way to store information so you can sift through it. A wonderful tool to do this is a free website called del.icio.us. When you use a web-based service like del.icio.us to publicly share resources, it’s called “social bookmarking.” It’s like your own on-line, public library. Anyone can see what you’ve posted. Create a del.icio.us account and post sites that you like to your del.icio.us account, which leads to the next task of sifting.
Sift
Learning how to sift through information and to determine the bias and reliability of sources is a valuable critical thinking skill.
- As you visit different sites, it’s important to know who is the source or author.
- Identifying reliable sources are skills we regularly utilize and teach are kids. On the Internet it becomes an even more crucial skill due to the plethora of inaccurate information being disseminated.
- Ask yourself what are the source’s biases.
- Have discussions with your students around reliability and bias as a means of sifting through information. Why not have an activity where you pose a question and list several sites. Have the kids determine if there is a bias or if the source is reliable.
Sort
Use your deli.cio.us account to sort through material by using the tag feature. Tags are keywords associated with the information. Type in meaningful tags that will help you sort the information. For example, I found a PowerPoint presentation on educating Millennials. I tagged it as “education millennials powerpoint technology.”
My sister Jessie Newburn taught me about the tag “someday maybe,” which she read in David Allen’s book Getting Things Done. The “someday maybe” tag means she doesn’t want to investigate it now, but it may be of value someday, maybe. Periodically, she goes through it and deletes or acts on the “someday maybe” posts.
Synthesize
This is where life gets more interesting. As educators who use Bloom’s taxonomy, it’s always exciting when we can get kids to synthesize the material.
- What new meaning can you create from the material?
- What new insights do you have when you see the spectrum of information?
My Squidoo lenses on Educating Millennials and Integers are examples of ways that I went through the gather, sift, sort and synthesize model. The creation of the lenses was the synthesis of all the research and how I connected the dots. Very fun indeed!
Share This
November 21st, 2006
People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Something that people are becoming aware of is that when you write on the Internet a residue is left. We need to educate ourselves and our students about developing positive and thoughtful on-line profiles.
On-Line Profile
It’s easy to find out your on-line profile. Just type in your name in Google or another major search engine. Do a couple of variations. For example, I would do Rebecca Newburn, “Rebecca Newburn” and rebeccanewburn. Find out what comes up. Read on to find out about some of the unintended residue that can be left on the web. You’ll be surprised!
Tone is Difficult to Interpret
It is too easy to misinterpret tone in an email. Sometimes a short response can come off as harsh. If it’s someone you care about, always discuss things that may be perceived as having an edge in person or on the phone.
Positive Imprints
When we write we need to constantly ask ourselves, “Does this express who I am?” For example, emailing someone in a bad mood or writing a sharp criticism leaves an imprint. Is this how you want to be perceived? Be mindful when writing. First ask if it is necessary to give feedback and if so, communicate in a polite and mindful manner. Leave a positive imprint- one that shows that you have a balanced perspective and are considerate and thoughtful.
Unintended Residue
I used to have my name as my username for everything, including on-line purchasing accounts such as E-Bay. My sister and I periodically check our on-line profile by doing a query on our names. She was quite chagrined when her query showed her E-Bay purchase of Hanky Panky underwear. She and I are both much more aware of when we use our real name and when we need to have pseudonyms.
People need to be taught about how easy it is to attach your name to both comments and purchases. As we become more conscious of the imprint we leave on the planet, we need to apply the same mindfulness to the residue on the web.
Share This
November 18th, 2006
Information Age kids are digital natives. We, their parents and teachers, are immigrants to the world of technology. Yet as adults we need to provide road-maps for a safe journey in territory that is not our native land.
It’s invaluable for us to have conversations with kids about how to use the Internet intelligently and thoughtfully. Providing clear guidelines about what sites they can visit is one discussion you can have. However, there is so much to be explored and the terrain is constantly changing.
This site by teacher David Warlick has some very helpful guidelines for parents on Internet use. Much of the information can support teachers too. Another important step is to have an Internet use policy at your school.
Share This
November 17th, 2006
Let there be peace and let it begin with me.
I know it’s important as a teacher to be able to get kids’ attention quickly if I need to give additional instructions, but I’ve always struggled with finding a method that resonates with who I am. Although I like the sound of bells, that’s a bit too Pavlovian for me. Raising my hand and counting backwards from 5 to zero isn’t my personality either. Having a clapping pattern works with elementary students, but isn’t age appropriate in middle school. Finally, I came up with a way that works for me.
I give them the peace sign.
That sign means many things. All of which I can relate to:
1. Peace to you.
2. Peace to me.
3. I need “peace and quiet.”
Today after using the peace sign to get everyone’s attention, I asked people to raise their hands if they wanted peace on earth. It was a unanimous “Yes!”
I told them that it’s easy to say that the fighting in the Middle East should end. We want people to stop fighting wars, but in some of those places people have been waging wars for generations. Yet how can we ask them to do that when we bully people or turn a blind eye to people who need our help in our school and in our own community? If we really want to create peace on earth, it has to begin with us and in our lives. That means being aware of how we treat others at all moments. It means being compassionate, kind and understanding - including with people we aren’t friends with. I too have to model this and take responsibility even when I get a bit on edge. I choose to create a classroom community and school culture where compassion is the norm and consciousness is a value.
I encouraged the students that every time we raise the peace sign they send out a kind thought. It can be to someone that they know who needs support or to anyone, anywhere in the world who needs it. If we are to change the world, let there be peace and let it begin with me.
Share This
November 14th, 2006
About two months ago, I created some lenses for educators and students on Squidoo, a free web site. A lens is your view on a topic. It can include links to other sites, photos, YouTube videos, resources on Amazon and a bunch of other tools I haven’t explored yet. The first one I created was on integers. I’m hoping to make some instructional videos for students who need a bit more help. I also created a lens about Educating Millennials, the New Generation. This week I’m learning about blogging. So here’s my first one! (Thanks for reading it.)
Share This
November 12th, 2006
We live in amazing times - including amazingly fast! You can click on a button and find information in milliseconds that may have required research in basement archives a decade ago. We are exposed to, and sometimes overwhelmed by, a vast array of information. What’s important? What’s not? It’s a new age we live in and it requires new skills.
Our educational system was forged during the Industrial Revolution. Now it’s time to look at the system and get it wired for the Information Age. Our kids are tech-savvy and use technology in many facets of their lives, as do we. I’m asking myself how can I engage students in the classroom by letting them explore, create and find meaning in the material. Increasing the use of technology is one answer. I’m at the beginning of my learning curve.
Now that we’re in the Information Age, people around the world can communicate and share ideas instantaneously. Technology is an important tool, but as any good educator can tell you, it’s the human connections that we make that lead to deep learning. It’s wonderful to learn about technology and share information to make our lessons interactive and dynamic. I also believe that creating opportunities for personal connections is going to be as critical in the Information Age as Internet connections.
Share This
November 12th, 2006
What is a blog? Well it’s short for a “web log.” You can write about something and have only a select group see it, such as a class, or it can be open to the public. You can set it up for no comments or comments (moderated or not). You can have links that send people to other websites that you like. You can post video and/or audio clips… and blogs are fun.
I’m learning about blogging as I go. Some of the things I did before I got started:
1. I asked myself what my intention was in creating a blog. For my class blog, I decided to start off with a three -month commitment then evaluate the benefits and determine if it was worthwhile continuing.
2. Checked in with your administrator to let them know your intention and ask if there are any school or district policies that you need to be aware of.
3. Ask your students if they want to blog. (They are so used to blogging because they’re digital natives. That they may not even know the term for what they do naturally.) Millennials, the New Generation, is all about inclusion and community. They want to be part of the decision making process.
4. Let the school’s tech person know that you’re starting a blog and may need support.
5. If you do regular parent communication, let them know what you are doing and why you are doing it. Give them a link to the site so that they can check it out themselves. (This is also a quick way to drive traffic to your site!)
There are a number of free blogging sites. Some of the ones that teachers use a lot are eblogger.com and classblogmeister.com. Wordpress, the company that hosts this blog, has a subdivision called edublog, but it doesn’t have nearly as many widgets (or features). I found Wordpress much more intuitive in structure than eblogger, but that just may be my brain. Play around with them. Explore. Enjoy. Create!
Internet Awareness/Safety
1. Whenever they post anything, never use a student’s last name or anything that could identify them to someone outside of the community.
2. In my math class blog prompts, I specifically state, “Write only your first name and period.” If I have multiple Marias in a class, they are asked to include the first letter of their last name too.
Resources You Can Use
Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for the Classroom is a great book to get you started working more on the web. This was the first book I bought when I started to blog and that was only 4 months ago! Click on the book cover to get this book at Amazon.
If you find the information on this blog helpful and are interested in any of the resources I’ve highlighted here, I’d be grateful if you purchased them through the links on my blog as I earn a small a percentage from each sale, which supports my writing. Thanks.
Share This
November 12th, 2006
